Moving Day
by Celeste.J.Evans
Summary: Kate is finally moving in with Rick
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first attempt at smut and upon retrospect, it really isn't that bad. Nevertheless, I would really appreciate some feedback. So feel free to trash it if you feel the need.**

**Also, this isn't necessarily a birthday present for **Alex Castle **but it just happens to be on the same day as her so happy birthday babe! 3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or anything associated with it.**

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"Just put them over there." Kate indicated a spot in the center of the living room as Rick hauled two large cardboard boxes and gently threw them on the floor. Huffing, he glared up at her throw his light brown fringe. She was just leaning against the counter in his kitchen with a nonchalant smirk on her face, her arms folded underneath her chest.

"Tell me again why you're not helping?" She tilted her head in challenge.

"Well because lifting all of those _heavy_ boxes would just make me all sweaty and no one wants that." Rick's jaw didn't slack nor did his eyes widen but they threatened to as he struggled internally for a response. Finally he stood straight and took a step towards her.

"You're coming to do the next run with me." He lightly gripped her wrist to pull her forward but she pulled back, causing him to lightly stumble into her. Using the momentum, he placed enough weight on her to bend her over the counter with a mischievous smile. With an amused eyebrow she never lost control of the situation.

"You think so do you?" She adjusted her folded arms so they were pushing her breasts up more than they already were. His gaze lowered and lingered for a moment before they returned, barely a shade darker but enough to let her know that his mind was in the right place.

"Oh yes I do." He leaned forward with that god-awful smirk plastered on his face and a hand slowly wrapping around her waist. She really had no intention of stopping him until he put pressure on her back and propelled her forward, passed him and towards the door. With a light smack on her bottom, he followed as she continued walking, willingly, down to the lobby where more boxes waited for them. With a glare over her shoulder she added an extra sway to her hips – knowing full well that he was watching her back-side – to let him know just what he wouldn't be getting for that little stunt.

Half an hour later, all of the "heavy" cardboard boxes were resting tauntingly in the middle of the living room.

"Why they hell do you have so many boxes?" He dropped the last of the offending objects on the top of his shoe causing him to stumble and collapse on the floor beside the pile. Kate, to her credit, didn't laugh until Rick flopped down on his back with his arms spread in defeat at which point her snickers turned into giggles as she dropped her lighter box beside his.

"Because you're such a wuss. Sure you don't need to some real men to help?" She breathed.

"I resent that." He didn't look up at her but his voice still held all the sultry promise it needed. "You know very well that I am very much a man."

Upon hearing her musical laughter, he lifted his head up and half-heartedly glared at her. He pouted like a hurt child causing her giggles to grow. As she continued to laugh at his expense, he reached for her wrist and this time succeeded in pull her towards him. With a light, surprised squeal Kate landed on her back beside him, still laughing hysterically but more at the situation than at him now.

Rick sat up on his elbow and didn't laugh but he was smiling broadly, just watching her in a state a pure bliss. He knew it was rare for her to be this happy so he preferred to memorize every inch of her so he could focus on making her do it again. The way her arms folded and tucked beside her chest; the way she arched into her laugh, her chest rising and falling; the way her knees bent and her legs rest half in the air; the way her eyes squeezed shut and her nose scrunched; the way her hair in its messy ponytail fell to her left side completely enveloping her cheek; the way her smile widened with every breath she took, exposing her straight and coffee-stained white teeth; the way she glowed with perfect happiness.

Kate's laughter subsided when she felt Rick's familiar stare boring into her soul. It wasn't uncommon for him to stare at her with love and affection but the intensity and situation caused her to control her laughter in favour of opening her eyes and calming her breathing. She watched him until her chest steadied and her gaze became curious. Without speaking, he reached his hand up to stroke her cheek. She watched his hand as it trailed across her cheek, down her jaw and rested on her chin.

"You are so beautiful." The last of her breath left her as she watched his eyes grow darker with love and lust. Sub-consciously, she shifted her weight onto her side so she was level with him and much closer. His hand dropped from her face and slid down her arm and then was gone. In an instant they were inches apart. All either had to do was tilt their head forward just a little bit and then-

"Am I interrupting something?" A woman cleared her throat in the doorway of the open loft. Instantly the couple rolled apart and sat up, their hands in their laps and a matching blush that could not have been planned. Lanie stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips, her back arching slightly from the weight of her growing stomach with an amused smirk that was all her own. She observed her best friend mutter a 'no' as she smoothed her grey sweatshirt – which looked suspiciously like something Rick would own – down which had ridden up to her waist in her laughter. Rick had yet to say anything but he didn't seem able to look at anything but the hardwood floor which, although polished and gorgeous, held nothing of interest. The medical examiner rolled her eyes as she entered the spacy room and finally laid eyes on the collection of boxes forgotten between the couple.

"I came to help with the moving but if you want me to come back…" She trailed off as the pair regained their composure.

"Nonsense doctor, you're always welcome in my-" he looked over at Kate with a subtle smile, almost proudly "our home. But is it really a good idea to be doing any manual labour this close to your due date. I didn't think Colin would let you out of his sight. I thought that child was going to pop out any day now." Kate's words not his. Lanie rolled her eyes at his – Kate's – choice of words but Kate answered before her.

"No worries Ricky;" She patted his knee and then used it to brace herself as she stood. "She's taking over my job of monitoring. She's going to tell us where everything goes so _you_" She pulled on his hands to help him stand "don't screw up."

"Would I screw up?" He pulled her closer with his hand around her waist and with no counter behind her she had no choice but to comply.

"Yes." She smirked, denying his obvious kiss vibe for a kiss on the cheek. She patted his chest comfortingly but her expression grew serious. "I want to move in the right way." Suddenly filled with an odd sense of pride, Rick pulled her closer and found her lips before she could protest. The kiss was long and sweet with no intention from either participant to move it forward. It was just a kiss. But the other person in the room cleared her throat nonetheless and the couple still reluctantly parted so they could begin moving Kate into Rick's loft.

The next few hours were spent unpacking boxes and moving things around to accommodate for the new living arrangement. As they worked – well as Kate and Rick worked and Lanie sat on a stool in the kitchen – they made Lanie's version of light conversation.

"So when do I get a niece or nephew out of you too?" The couple didn't stop in their quest to make the loft habitable but Kate did blush slightly.

"Lanie!" She scolded her friend with a nervous laugh. "We've only been dating for ten months."

"Officially." The pregnant woman scoffed. "You two have been doing the 'couple' thing for years. It's time you got your acts together, settled down and got to producing those Castle babies I'm sure are going to be the cutest things on the planet." Rick closed his eyes as he paused to release a breathy laugh.

"Thank you Dr. Parish, I think that was a compliment." Kate didn't respond but she glanced at Rick whose expression didn't change but his eyes gave her the answer she needed.

"Actually Lanie" Her gaze only turned to the woman after she spoke. "I think we're almost there." She turned to face the woman who wore a curious expression on her face and held up her hands. On her right ring finger was a plain silver band that fit on her slender finger perfectly. Almost in slow motion, the brunette detective pulled the ring off her finger, flipped it over and replaced it on her left ring finger revealing an oval-cut diamond surrounded by three small diamonds curving around either side of the stone. Simple but elegant. Waiting the three seconds it took Lanie for realization kicked in, Kate smiled broadly as she was tackled by a pregnant woman in jeans and a V-neck t-shirt. Maintaining her balance, Kate held to the M.E. until she loosened her grip and took a step back. Hastily grabbing the ring to examine it, she released a squeal of approval before turning directly to the silent, happy but stunned writer.

"Took you long enough to put a ring on that girl's finger." He simply shrugged.

"I've been trying but it took a lot of convincing to even get her to wear it at all." At that, she turned to her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"What has you so reluctant to marry this man?" Kate's gaze immediately flew to her fiancée's and they shared a smile. Her voice was soft and sweet.

"Nothing anymore." Seeing the look in her friend's eyes and instantly recognizing it, Lanie shook her head.

"Mmhmm. Still got the eye-sex after all these years. Congrats." Kate smiled as she returned her attention to her friend.

"Thank you for helping out today Lanie."

"Hey," She raised her hands in mock defeat. "It was all you guys. I just supervised." Then she leaned in close to her friend to speak in a stage whisper. "You know that boy of yours is pretty damn toned. How are you keeping him so fit?"

"Thank you." Rick motioned towards the pair in exasperation. "Kate doesn't seem to think I'm much of a man."

"She did say _boy_, Castle." The brunette pointed out causing him to open his mouth in protest before folding his arms and plopping down on the couch facing away from the pair – being a child by throwing a temper tantrum and being a gentleman by allowing the two friends some privacy to say goodbye. Rolling her eyes, Kate returned her attention to the woman in front of her.

"I'll deal with him and the rest of the boxes. You head home to your man." She offered her a long hug goodbye before walking her to the door and leaning against it once the good doctor had left. Breathing a sigh of relief, she closed her eyes and composed herself for the task at hand: finishing unpacking her new life. She hadn't realized her fiancée had moved until he was whispering in her ear.

"I thought she'd never leave." Too caught up in the sensation of his breath down her neck, she whispered

"Yeah" before she realized what she was saying and her eyes flew open. "I mean-" her protests her cut off by Rick's mouth on her's in a slow and steady massage. Her pulse beat in her lips as they worked each other over; her hands were pinned to the door by the sheer weight of his body on her's while one of his hands thread through her hair and the other came to the hem of her – his – sweatshirt. His fingertips were barely grazing her stomach when she suddenly broke from the kiss and slipped out from his embrace. Powerwalking towards the last few boxes left in the middle of the living room, she adjusted the very visible creases on her shirt and huffed anxiously.

"I think we should finish unpacking these boxes." Not losing his lusty composure, Rick followed her across the loft and rested his hands on her shoulders.

"And I think we should leave them till later." He trailed his fingers down her arms as he placed warm, chaste kisses down the side of her neck and up to her earlobe and tuck it in his teeth. He smiled as he heard her gasp lightly at the unexpected sensation. She leaned slightly into his embrace, her resolve slipping fast.

"But I could be persuaded otherwise." She gasped as his hands left her arms to pull her waist closer and ground her hips into his. The sensation caused them both to moan.

"What kind of persuasion are we talking about?" His lips were dangerously close to her ear – he could feel the tiny hairs on the tip of her ear perk up with delight.

"You're the one with the brilliant-" She gasped as his lips grazed her neck to bite down on her pulse point "mind." She meant mind right? "You tell me." His hands ran up the inside of her shirt and she let him this time if only to close her eyes and feel his arms around her bare stomach.

"Well we could always clean up before coming back down." He nudged her head to the side to allow his mouth better access. "You can multi-task in the shower can't you?" She feigned thought – not having been coherent since he had grabbed her ear the first time – before she allowed the sensation of his kisses to take over and she breathed.

"Too far." She turned in his arms – his fingers curling around to her back – and kissed him hard and fast. Nothing to be misread. Her fingers lingered in his hair and his never left her waist but their kisses were becoming longer and the need to breathe – although not necessary – was a good excuse to move.

"I'm thinking we should consummate this marriage." He muttered against her lips as he gently pushed her backwards.

"Shouldn't we be married first?" Her feet complied of their own accord and she was backing into the counter. A sense of déjà vu was swept under the rug.

"Nonsense." He pulled back playfully, still attached at the hip. "We've consummated a lot of things." He bent forward to kiss the center of her neck. "Alexis moving out into the real world." A little lower "Our engagement." Lower still "Breaking a lamp." She smiled at the memory before she used her hips to push him back. "I think we broke the lamp after-while we consummated… something…" She couldn't remember what they had been joining for. "What were we consummating?" He thought for a moment.

"I think _buying_ the lamp." With a smile she pulled him back into a searing kiss and didn't wait for a response. His hands finally left her skin to move behind her. Their kisses didn't move but his hands were causing an odd sideways momentum between the two and the sensation caused her to break apart to look over her shoulder at what he was doing. His hands were moving back and forth in a sweeping motion, clearing the counter behind them of all contents. Looking back at him with intrigue, she raised an eyebrow in question.

"Planning on having your way with me Mr. Castle?"

"Well we gotta get dirty if we're going to have that shower." His hands slipped to her hips and he almost lovingly hoisted her up onto the counter and left his hands on her waist. For a brief moment, this wasn't about lust; this was about love. But as soon as he spoke, both eyes darkened and the intention was clear. "And besides, I need to welcome you to the building." With that, he pushed her roughly down so that she caught herself on her elbows and looked at him expectantly. In a swift motion, he had climbed onto the counter and was crawling between her legs, his knees sticking slightly from a hastily spilled bottle of jam. He was suddenly struck with a thought that was silenced by Kate pulling him down to her by his shirt collar.

"Not this time." She muttered, frantically playing with his buttons. How she knew what he was thinking would always be beyond him but he wasn't complaining. He used his hands to brace himself above her frame as she reached to undo his last button and throw it over his shoulders. Alternating between hands in order to slip his arms out of the shirt, he bent his arms to press more of his weight on top of her. Slipping his right hand under her sweatshirt, he tugged upward bringing the fabric with him. Sitting up, he pulled the offending object over her head and threw it to the side, not waiting for it to hit the ground before placing his hand behind her back and splaying his fingertips across the back of her bra. He tried and failed several times to undo the clasp while using his other hand to hold her in mid-air until Kate pulled back from his neck with an amused smirk.

"All thumbs today _dear_?" With that teasing look, Kate tilts her head and leans back on her hands so that he can use both of his hands to remove the traitorous piece of fabric – it can barely be called clothing.

"I've got other things working just fine." He growled, flinging her bra in the air. With a satisfied purr, Kate lowered her hands down to his belt and quickly slung it out, nearly whipping poor Rick in the process. Fumbling with the button of his constricting jeans, she growled in protest before finally getting it and slipping his pants off his hips. Rick rocked back onto his heels to completely remove his pants leaving Kate very cold. Not liking to feel so exposed, she reached out a hand to pull him back by whatever part was most available. That happened to be his penis which was standing at attention waiting for her and her firm grasp of it caused him to pause in his shimmy out of the denim.

"Really now?" He voice was slight strained from the lack of blood actually making it to his first brain but he understood her intention and dropped his boxers along with his pants, kicking them off the counter as Kate retook her grasp of him. Stroking her sharp fingernails along his semi-impressive length – she wasn't complaining, really she wasn't cause that boy could really work what he had – she gently tugged him until he was laying back on top of her, returning his ministrations of her face and neck. Her hands trailed all the way up his toned stomach to his fairly sloppy chest – Victor Webster he was not – around his neck and into his hair. She pulled his head lower hoping for him to reach just a little further with his lips. So far tonight, he had avoided touching her chest in any way and while she loved his gentlemanly side, it was currently bugging the hell out of her. Taking both of his hands supporting his weight above her, she tugged them off the counter and waited until he had regained his balance before placing them gently on her breast. He immediately squeezed both of them and the moan that escaped her lips and the way she arched her back into him gave him all the permission he needed. His lips trailed down the center of her chest as his hands rolled over her nipples and caressed the sides of her breasts, bringing them closer together. As his fingers continued their ministrations – more specifically his fingertips teasing her rock hard nipples – his mouth moved further down, his teeth grazing her stomach causing her core muscles to tighten in anticipation and her hands to clench his hair. As his lips found the top of her loose blue shorts over her black cotton underwear he looked up at her mischievously. She looked back at him once she realized he had stopped and the look in her eyes was enough to send him over the edge. A helpless lust that came from begin completely out of control and completely taken by the sensation of it. Without averting his gaze from her blackened eyes, he dug his teeth into the fabric of her waistband and gently pulled. He slid the garments down between her legs, still fairly closed without instruction. As he moved lower to pull the clothing right off the ends of her feet, his hands slipped down her sides, leaving her breasts feeling very unfondled. Knowing his hands would not return unless she was completely naked, she flicked her underwear off her toe and silently begged him to return. Instead, he slowly kissed the inside of her right ankle sending waves of unwanted pleasure up her to her centre with ever touch of his lips. His tongue grazed along her knee and up her thigh and shaped right over her pelvis before continuing up her left side. Kate had closed her eyes, fully expecting to feel his tongue explore her folds but when he literally passed right over her, her eyes flew open and her fingers dug into his scalp to stop him just below her breast. His hands had moved passed to rest on her shoulders as he lay most of his weight on her side but he stopped when she protested and looked up at her.

"Get down there." Her voice was almost more commanding the breathier and sexier it got and he nearly obeyed but at the last moment he pulled himself forward and began to kiss and suck and lick the bottom of her neck as his legs intertwined with her's. As he sucked blood to the surface, her knee lifted of its own accord, letting him fall deeper towards her. As it was, his erection was pressed against her thigh, dangerously close to her center teasing her with each motion he made. She was too caught up in the sensation of their lower halves to really pay attention to what he was doing above but when she felt him snicker against her neck, a part of her brain kicked in and she looked at him with a sense of dread.

"You did not just give me a hickey." The moment was almost completely gone save for his arousal and her laboured breathing keeping him going. He offered no response save for a defiant smile as though he were so proud of what he had just done. "What am I going to tell the guys at work tomorrow?" It was meant as a protest but at the moment it seemed more like an invitation to test her improv-excuse skills so he promptly tilted his head to the other side to continue his work.

"The same thing was always tell them" He had given up on giving her a hickey and settled for making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as his lips ghosted over every single inch of the right side of her neck "alien abduction." She would have smiled or at least rolled her eyes at the reference but instead closed her eyes at the sensation of his hands trailing down her sides to rest low on her hips.

Feeling that was all the foreplay they really needed, they both made an executive decision to get Rick inside of her as soon as possible and so in one motion, Kate firmly grabbed him and he shifted his weight to be completely over top of her. The moment he moved forward to dip inside of her, she lifted and locked her ankles around his ass and then made sure she had a firm grip of his shoulder blades. Using all the strength he had in his body, he filled her half way and simply stayed for a moment before pulling back but Kate, who had grown lustfully impatient, had other ideas. Flexing her feet, she dug her heels in and pushed upwards so that he had no choice but to shift his weight forward and fill her completely – as best he could. Regardless, she groaned at the intimate contact.

"That's better." She muttered as he began a slow motion – at Kate's discretion. They didn't move except for the steadily increasing rhythm of the joined pair. Kate's dark hazel eyes were thrown to the ceiling, her eyes falling shut each time he passed her clit while Rick stared at her – or rather her neck – in adoring fascination. As her ecstasy increased, she pushed him inside her faster and faster until she felt a wave crash over her eyes and she arched her back into the sensation. Her hands had dropped from his shoulders and were now clenching either side of the now warm, ceramic table.

"Oh god yes;" She breathed "more." She commanded in his ear. And he obeyed to an extent until he felt himself falling over the edge. He continued to pump until he tilted his head forward and emptied himself inside of her with a groan of pleasure. She followed for a second time, her voice just as quiet but it held much more desire. For the first time in what seemed like hours, she looked at him as she orgasmed again. Her hazel eyes returning to normal and her breathing as laboured as ever, she slowly unclenched her fists and watched as he came back down. He was watching her just as intently and intensity of baby blues sent an involuntary shiver down her spine which did not go unnoticed.

"I still got it, huh?" He whispered as his breathing continued to heave.

"Seems like it." She responded with a laboured laugh as she released her hold of his ass – one of his better features. It was nearly a full minute before he pushed off and left her body, causing a silent protest within Kate which she didn't protest. Swinging his feet over the edge, he sat on the counter, his butt cold against the ceramic and pulled her up beside him. She swung her legs under the counter and held on to the edge with her fingertips, refusing to look at him. He tilted his head, waiting for her to speak and it was a long time before she did.

"Did you ever think about starting a family with me?" He didn't seem taken by surprise by this and he answered right away.

"All the time." She couldn't hide the smile that grew on her tired lips.

"You want to start now?" In response, he leaned over slightly to meet her in a kiss. Their eyes closed and their lips melded and the passion lasted a moment before she broke the kiss and looked straight into his eyes, never leaving them.

"I didn't mean _right_ now." She smirked at his erection she caught out of the corner of her eye.

"Well there's no time like the present." His response seems so obvious and simple. With a scoff and a shake of her head, she rolled her eyes but stopped in mid-air.

"Castle," She spoke after a pause, glancing thoughtfully "how did my bra end up in the light fixture?" His eyes left hers to examine the fabric clinging to the edge of the light, still swaying inharmoniously and he smiled.

"I have no idea. I was otherwise occupied." She closed her eyes with a smile as she leaned her head against his shoulder, barely damp with sweat. They both sat admiring the bra for a long moment her legs swinging lazily as he supported their weight.

Oddly, the perfect moment, lasting an eternity before Rick leaned over to whisper.

"Welcome to the neighbourhood."

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**I'm considering continuing this story but I'd like to hear from you if I should. So... should I continue with this scene? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Alas I was hoping to update this a lot sooner than now but this is how life works. This is chapter two of Moving Day. Yay! I have decided not to continue with that scene persay but I am progressing things. I do have a plan of sorts as to where I want this to go so hopefully you can stick around long enough to get there with me. This chapter is a lot shorter than the first one so don't worry. Thanks for the feedback and I hope to have more. Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or anything associated with it.**

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The quiet moment between the couple was broken by the sound of light footsteps approaching the front door to the loft. By the time the sound of a key entering the lock filled the space, both Kate and Rick had jumped off of the counter to gather the pants and shirts that had been flung haphazardly around the room. They gathered whatever loose clothes they could find all the while silently praying that no one could see into the living room window to see two grown adults flopping around as they dashed frantically in what felt like circles.

Alexis turned the door knob and opened the door to an empty loft. She was so transfixed on shedding her coat and keys that she didn't hear the soft echo of a door closing in the distance. She flung her coat of her arm and walked further into the loft to find a small pile of cardboard boxes clumped just behind the couch and she suddenly became very cautious. Kate would never leave something unfinished. Her dad might, but his girlfriend certainly wouldn't. She had a fleeting moment where she wondered if she should be correcting the term "girlfriend" and changing it to "fiancé" but she forgot that when she looked over to the kitchen.

The entire contents of the counter had been wiped onto the lower counter and some of the cutlery and dishes from that morning had even fallen into the sink. _Weird,_ she thought but it wasn't uncommon for her father to forget to clean up or become occupied with other things.

"Hello?" She called out but she was only met with the ticking of the clock in the living room and nothing else. Odd that no one was home. Kate and her dad must have been called out to a case or something. Yes that was it. She was about to distractedly place her coat on the clear counter when she suddenly became very much _un-_distracted.

She did a double take of the counter and leaned a little closer just to confirm her suspicions before she pulled back – taking a few steps into the dining room table just for good measure – and closed her eyes.

Those were definitely butt-prints on the ceramic counter.

Her mouth flew open in shock and disguised and her entire body curled into itself as she tied together all of the facts and made the awful conclusion that her father was indeed an adult. Rolling her eyes back into her head, she paused when her blue eyes hit the ceiling – or more importantly, the light fixture above her head.

That was that last straw, she was going to scrub this kitchen until she had the image of her father and his- whatever she was – having sex in the same place they ate breakfast out of her mind. She tossed her coat over the counter to land mostly on the back of the couch as she rolled up the sleeves of her blue plaid button up.

She was going to be there awhile.

Meanwhile, Rick and Kate were trying very hard to not giggle or continue making out as they both stood naked against the door of Rick's bedroom, listening for any sign that Alexis was about to approach. Finding no such noise, Kate allowed herself to collapse against the door in a fit of barely audible laughter. What was up with her lately? She was – dare she say – happy and she really liked it. Rick was enjoying it thoroughly – seeing her so at ease in his home made his heart happy. Seeing her happy and comfortable and _naked_ in his home made the rest of him very happy indeed. Deciding that he was up to showing her how happy he was, he grabbed her shoulders to steady her against the door and looked at her with a sincere intensity.

Kate's laughter subsided as she caught the intent in his eyes. He wanted her full attention when he did this and while she was glad to have an encore, she had her doubts.

"Rick," She said in her favourite scolding tone with just a hint of playfulness "your daughter is in the next room."

"So," he dipped his head to begin kissing the edge of her jaw, "we've done it with her in the house before." His hands wandered down to her-

"Not when she's this close." She breathed as he continued to massage her hips in a slow, steady rhythm while she rocked slightly into him and her hands hung limply at her sides.

"Didn't I hear something about a shower earlier?"

"That was _your_ suggestion." She closed her eyes as the lingering sensations from their previous session mixed with her current tingling urges and she was sent to a new level of high.

"I happen to like that suggestion regardless." His hands ghosted over her shoulders and down her stiff hands to grab a hold of her wrists. He took an easy step backwards and gently pulled her off the wall, her eyes fluttering open and closed in contentment, as he led them both towards his en-suite bathroom.

He continued to walk backwards even as he released her right wrist to flick on the light revealing the bachelor-sized facility with the two-person shower lining the back wall. Everything was tiled which made it look pretty but it prevented any morning "wake-up calls" from being performed anywhere but the shower and the bed. No adventures. He opened the clear door and gave one last tug so that she ended up right under the showerhead, tucked safely under her lover's arm. She didn't mind being several inches shorter than him – in fact she rather liked it – because Kate liked to be snuggled into Rick. At work, Beckett liked her power heels and the residual energy usually helped when she turned back into Kate but they were two separate entities all together. Right now, Kate was reaching under Rick's arm to turn on the shower for them. The squeaking of the faucet was barely heard by the couple as Kate offered her fiancé a lazy smile but the squeaking of Rick made three heads turn – Kate as she jumped slightly, Alexis as she looked up from the bucket of bleach in the sink and Martha as she opened the door to the loft.

"Why is the water so cold?" He whimpered as he stumbled to open the shower door and get away from the freezing temperature. Kate, for her part, watched Rick as the ice water fell around her. She could either get out with him and just fool around in his bed – the water was absolutely freezing – or she could have some fun with her soon-to-be husband.

"It's not that cold." Kate offered her best _sexy bambi eyes_ look and bit the inside of her lip as the water cascaded down her still naked body. Rick looked at her sceptically with the ever present subtext of lust before looking down ever so slightly.

"Your nipples tell me otherwise." Cursing her body, she used it to her advantage and slid her hands down and around her breast, splashing more and more of the freezing water onto herself. It took all of her self-control not to jump out of the shower and into Rick's arms but for all of the years he had teased her, she was going to get some revenge. She could warm up later; now she was reaching for the body wash.

Rick's hand suddenly shot out to stop her. If she could wash herself in this temperature, he could wash her too. But the moment he stepped into the shower, Kate shifted so his back was directly under the water. She breathed a silent sigh of relieve while Rick opened his mouth in a whimper of protest.

"I think there might be a problem with the hot water." He chattered as he continued to shake.

"I think so." She would have smiled if she wasn't so cold and wet.

"C'mon." He turned towards the door but Kate stopped him.

"What's the matter Ricky? Having a _little_ problem?" She lowered her eyes to ensure that she made her point, causing Rick to jump back slightly and look down himself. She snickered until he twisted his shoulder so a blast of water was directly hitting her face.

With a squeal and speed that matched Rick's, Kate was out of the shower and standing in the middle of the bathroom, shivering and fuming.

"Richard Castle, get your ass out here and warm me up." Her voice would have been more menacing if it had been more than a whisper.

"Well after that _little_ comment I don't know if I will." He reached over and finally shut off the faucet before he looked over at her. Both of them were dripping wet and freezing cold and nearly on the floor in laughter for the second time in as many minutes.

"We are so ridiculous." Kate finally breathed and she leaned against the bathroom counter for support.

"I know right? What is with us lately?" Rick was still standing in the shower but he was now clinging to the door for dear life.

"I don't know," she sobered slightly "but I kind of like it." She confessed.

Rick smiled and walked towards her in such a direct manner. "Good," he grabbed her shoulders "me neither." He kissed her cheek and pulled her into his chest for a bear hug – the only kind you can give when your fiancée is _so_ short.

Still holding onto Kate, he swayed back and forth until they managed to lean to the right far enough to grab a towel off the shelf. He then released Kate despite her still clinging to his chest and wrapped the fluffy brown towel around them both.

Once they were both thoroughly dry and her hair was pinned to her head Kate looked up to Rick with a smirk.

"We should go out and greet your daughter." She continued as he opened his mouth. "Dressed and separately." Rick rolled his eyes and offered an overdramatic sigh before releasing her and pushing her back slightly.

"I suppose." His voice was sad but the smile on his face kept the mood light. "Let's get you dressed." It was Kate's turn to pull Rick out the door, the air almost warmer in the bedroom. The each bent over to gather the clothing that had been thrown on the floor and began tossing pieces to each other; pants, shirts, underwear. Rick had his shirt over his head before he heard Kate speak.

"Rick, where is my bra?" He stood straight, only half dressed, eyes wide.

"Out there with my daughter." Cursing quietly, Kate dashed over to the garment bag hanging in the closet and unzipped it, revealing most of her dresses. Pulling out a short, green printed summer dress, she tossed it over her head with nothing underneath and ran out the bedroom door, smacking her fiancé upside the head as she passed him.

The living room and dining room were quiet but Kate immediately caught the sight of red bobbing up and down behind the kitchen counter. Cautiously, she approached, hoping not to disturb the teenager. Unfortunately, the floorboards disagreed with her and chose that moment to squeal on her. Kate winced and froze in place until Alexis' head popped up in surprise.

"Kate!" She was momentarily stunned until she realized what the woman must be doing and blinked long and hard. "Grams took your bra down when she got home. It's in the wash." There was no way Kate could be a paler shade of white as the apprehension set in that her future step-daughter had essentially caught them in the act.

"Alexis I-" She started to apologize profusely but the teen held up a sponge in protest.

"No need to apologize Kate, you and dad are consenting adults and I respect that." She switched from mature adult to teenager to two seconds flat. "Just _please_ promise me you won't be _that, there_ ever again?" Releasing a slightly relieved breath, Kate walked over to the girl and placed a lazy arm over her shoulder.

"I promise. We just got a little caught up in-"

"Ew, no details." The expression on Alexis' face caused the detective to laugh out loud until the cringing was suddenly placed with a knowing smile. The teenager reached up and grabbed the left hand draped over her shoulder and examined the ring.

Kate looked down at it as well, realizing that she had forgotten about it, and smiled with registering it. Alexis suddenly looked up at her so hopefully that it took her by surprise.

"Can I say it?"

"Say what?"

"The thing I have been _dying_ to say since the day you and dad started dating." Still unsure about the girl, Kate waited for her to say it.

The words made her smile uncontrollably and pull the teen tighter to her.

"Welcome to the family."

* * *

**So Lanie and Alexis know about the engagement. Next stop, the precinct. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I know, I know, I was supposed to get this out a lot earlier. To tel the truth, I'm doing a lot better with my updating than I thought which is sad in it's own right but still. **

**This story was originally written to be mindless smut but then all of a sudden it grew the semblance of a plot so I'm trying to make the mindless smut work _into_ the semblance of a plot. Let's see how that goes. In the meantime, enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or anything associated with it.**

* * *

It was nearly half an hour before Rick finally dared to open the door, knowing that one of his girls had discovered the discarded clothing and would most definitely have something to say about it. He opened the door a sliver and peaked out to see his two youngest girls scrubbing the counters and he physically winced as he realized what his daughter was doing.

"Get out here Rick." He jumped as Kate called him out while her back was turned. Alexis look up towards the door and smiled at the sight of her father peering through the crack in the door. The writer quickly snapped up and opened the door, trying to appear as though he hadn't been fearfully snooping. He was now dressed – to the delight of his daughter – in a pair of slacks and an old navy blue NYPD t-shirt – a little something he had gotten for his third anniversary of working at the precinct.

"Hey honey, you're home early." He spoke casually as the girls exchanged amused glances.

"I'm home on time dad. You just apparently lost of track of the time." Her father did a double-take at this. Oh crap.

"Look Alexis I-"

"Richard darling you've finally come out of hiding I see." Martha suddenly descended the stairs with a flourish of her arms. "I was beginning to think you would stay cooped up in their all afternoon.

"Mother!" He exclaimed. "You're home too?" He eyed Kate as she apologetically shrugged. What was she supposed to do? She knew Martha was home because Alexis had told her she was the one to deal with the garment that was once dangling from the ceiling but she hadn't exactly had the time to tell Rick that.

"Yes of course I am darling." She entered the kitchen and placed an arm around Kate's shoulder. "Now that I have you both here," she suddenly picked up Kate's left hand and examined it "oh how charming." She commented in passing before she got back on track. "I think we need to have a conversation about your habits."

"Habits mother?" He wasn't quite sure what she was talking about but he had a pretty good idea.

"Yes," She swiftly approached her granddaughter and covered her ears gently "your _sex_ habits." Kate was thankful that she hadn't been drinking anything or else she would have had to clean the counters again.

"Ew, grams." Alexis whined prying her grandmother's fingers off of her delicate little ears. "I did not need to hear that."

"Well that's why I covered your ears darling."

"Next time just tell me to leave the room."

The couple would have found the banter amusing had they not been discussing their ability to have sex on any surface they found.

"Well um, what do we need to discuss?" Kate prayed desperately that this would not be the most awkward conversation of her life.

"Well dear you know that Alexis and I are so glad that you and Richard are together," she spoke to the brunette with loving affection "but I think we would all appreciate it if the two of you kept your… displays of affection to a minimum-"

"And preferably in private." The youngest redhead piped in.

"That too." The diva nodded in agreement, causing the couple to blush slightly.

"Deal." Castle was the first speak right away. Kate, not at all eager to participate in this conversation, began to approach her _still_ unopened boxes.

"It's a rule then." Alexis declared. "Any of us feel the need to be intimate with someone; we keep it in the bedroom." Rick did an immediate double-take.

"Does that rule apply to you?" His voice _seemed_ teasing but it was laced so heavily with serious panic. His daughter was staring silently at him for a moment, wide-eyed, before she suddenly scurried off to join her soon-to-be step-mother with unpacking her things.

After a celebratory dinner made my Martha and cleaned up by everyone else, Kate and Rick sat down and talked about the little rock on her finger. It was decided after an hour of discussion that they would let everyone figure it out – press included – when they figured it out. They called Paula and she had a statement ready for when the press finally _did_ get wind of their engagement but until then, she offered her congratulations and left the pair alone. The rest of the night was spent avoiding the broken shower and keeping their hands to themselves until they reached the bedroom around 10:30. After that, the camera's lens got a bit steamy so there's no guarantee as to exactly what happened.

Monday morning rolled around and the couple were still a little high on happiness but they managed to keep it to themselves. It wouldn't stop Castle from grinning like a geek at comicon and Beckett from glowing with that little bounce in her step. Everyone noticed them as they exited that elevator at a reasonable distance apart. It seemed like the entire floor stopped to watch them as they walked at a slower pace towards her desk and his self-appointed chair and they quickly exchanged a glance to check each other for strips of toilet paper and untucked shirts. They both spotted her ring at the same time and shook their heads. There was only one really good explanation for the stares and the whispers.

"Hey Ryan," Beckett suddenly turned to her pseudo-partner "has Lanie been up her recently?"

"Why she has Beckett." Ryan smiled cheekily. "She came up here to let us know that she wasn't going to be working at all while she was pregnant. She doesn't want all of the Autopsy fumes to affect the baby's development. She didn't stay long though because the paint fumes were making her sick." The duo glanced around and finally noticed the maintenance workers on ladders with buckets of beige paint, working on the tops of the doors and windows all around the precinct. They had forgotten that they were finally getting the walls redone – Castle just wished a better color had been chosen.

"So you guys know about her pregnancy." Castle nodded.

"Yeah." He suddenly smiled mischievously. "She also mentioned something that happened over the weekend." Yup; that girl could _not_ keep her mouth shut.

"Oh really?" Beckett raised her eyebrows in feign amusement. "Anything interesting?"

"Nah." Esposito interjected as he returned from the break room with two steaming cups of espresso. "Nothing special." Castle's jaw dropped. He could not hold it in any longer.

"_Nothing special_?" He nearly shouted. "Katherine Beckett _finally_ accepts my marriage proposal and you say it's _nothing special_?" His arms were everywhere – as was his head apparently – as he practically announced it to the four block radius surrounding the precinct. The room was silent a moment as Beckett closed her eyes in annoyance.

Subtle Castle, very subtle.

A moment later, everything erupted and everyone laid down their work to approach that happy couple – one annoyed, the other embarrassed and slightly fearful for his life – to congratulate them on their future together… finally.

It was several minutes of handshakes and back pats and one remark from Castle that involved him claiming that he would win Beckett eventually before Captain Montgomery opened his door to glare at his officers, indicating that fun time was over and it was time to get back to work. He barely glanced in the direction of the pair before closing his door once again leaving Castle and Beckett in the middle of the precinct completely stunned.

Smacking Castle lightly in the stomach, Kate glared at him. "You don't do 'secret' do you?" She muttered finally approaching her desk and the mounds of paperwork that she hoped she could get through without catching a case. She was severely pissed at her new fiancé. After they had spent all of that time discussing that fact that they were never going to admit it directly for a few months until it really sunk in and they had had a chance to tell the important people in their life. But no; Castle just _had _to announce it to the world the moment they left the loft. For god's sake she had been living with him officially for two days and already she was having doubts. This was ridiculous. I mean how could he do that? Did he have no control? She rolled her eyes at her own inner monologue. Of course he didn't. This was the man who had taken her on the kitchen counter just before his daughter arrived and then had literally left her to clean up the mess. She should have guessed.

Castle, meanwhile, was kicking himself as he avoided watching Beckett work. How could he have been so stupid? He couldn't have waited a few weeks? Of course not; he had taken her on the kitchen counter and then hid in his bedroom while she dealt with the consequences. Their future – or his near future – did not seem bright at all.

A few hours later, Beckett was in a slightly better mood. She had calmed down significantly but she was still a little pissed at him. After all, he was just excited about getting married. She couldn't really be mad at him for that. Castle, to his credit, remained cautious of his fiancée the rest of the morning and when lunch time rolled around, he volunteered his services to the entire floor and opted to buy everyone lunch. What a generous –or was it, wimpy? – man he was. Beckett shook her head as she saw Castle practically run out of the precinct. Was it a good thing or a bad thing that her future hubby was terrified of her? Regardless, she promised herself that she would only keep up the charade until after he had gotten her her afternoon coffee and then she would forgive him. Yes.

Feeling like she needed a breather from all of the paper, she opened an internet browser and was greeted with the standard MSN Page with the highlighted news. She was about to click away when something caught her eye.

_Has Castle found his new Heat?_

Clicking on the link to the full article, she was greeted with a photo of her and Castle exciting the apartment yesterday for an afternoon stroll. They had linked arms and Rick had just made her laugh out loud, giving the photo an air of pure happiness and contentment. A picture beside it showed a close up of the couple's linked arms and – more importantly – Kate's engagement ring.

_Great_ she thought, _the cat is out of the bag and it has run down the street_. There was no controlling it now that everyone seemed to know of her engagement to Castle. Taking a calming breath she began to read the article, praying that they had no more evidence.

_Richard Castle and his latest muse, NYPD Detective Katherine Beckett were spotted outside of Central Park yesterday on a lover's stroll by this fan who reported that they seemed to be very 'involved' with each other and barely noticed what was going on around them. Mr. Castle and Ms. Beckett – recently dubbed 'Caskett' have been dating for several months now and fans were beginning to wonder just how serious they were getting when they were spotted out together on Friday, moving boxes up to his home. It seems that Caskett has moved in together. And to top it all off, the ring on her finger is confirmed to be an engagement ring. According to Mr. Castle-_

She stopped reading after that. Castle had spoken to a reporter about their engagement? How could he? _When_ could he? They had barely left each other's sides the entire weekend – enjoying the freedom of officially living together. Somehow he had found the time to do this behind her back. That egotistical, self-righteous son of a –

Castle chose that exact moment to return with a handful of bags filled with delicious take-out. In a flash, Beckett was up from her chair – letting it roll away slight as she stood with force – and storming over to the writer. He barely had time to drop all of the food on Esposito's desk before she was pulling his arm out of its socket and in the direction of Interrogation Room 2. Curious about what had just happened, Ryan and Esposito exchanged worried and confused glances as the door slammed shut and they rushed to observation room to find out just what the hell had happened.

The sound of the door slamming alerted the Captain to some sort of problem and he was joining the boys a moment later.

"What's happened?"

"Don't know." They partners replied in unison, not letting their eyes leave the window for a second.

They had no idea what the hell had just happened but it was going to be good.

* * *

**Kate is going to chew. Rick. out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I think this is a first for me. Updating twice in the same... month. Nevertheless, here is the rest of that scene. It seems a little rushed at the end but that is because I am at school and I only have so much free time at school to write this. I was trying to post this yesterday for Stana Katic's birthday but alas, that didn't happen so this is my belated birthday gift to our Modern Day Audrey Hepburn - stunningly gorgeous, utterly intelligent, health and environmentally consious, witty and incredibly talented. Can you tell I'm a fan? **

**Anyways, e****njoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or anything associated with it.**

* * *

"What's up?" Castle rocked back on his heels, knowing that Beckett wanted a private word but he still wasn't sure what to expect.

"What the hell were you thinking?" She didn't let him ask what she was talking about. "You weren't thinking – of course you weren't thinking. You _never_ think." She ranted, using her hands to punctuate every word.

"Whoa slow down there honey." Castle grabbed her shoulders to still her but she shook him off.

"Don't call me _honey_."

"Okay what did I do?" He asked in exasperation. Beckett was _really_ pissed at him and he didn't know what he had done.

"And now you're going to pretend like it's nothing." She scoffed. "God why did I ever get involved a playboy?" Did she just say that to him? After everything he had done for her, she was going to accuse him of being a playboy?

"You still think I'm just trying to get into your pants?"

"Admit it putting a ring on your muse's finger is great publicity for your new book. Not to mention keep up your flawless reputation of fuck 'em and leave 'em." That was it. Castle's hands hit the table with a slap as he eyed her viciously.

"You are unbelievable. You have no right to accuse me of anything like that. If anything, it should be me calling you a _whore_." He spat out the word causing his fiancé to fume. "The way you flaunt your sexuality in front of any guy who'll look your way which – looking like that – is every guy you pass."

"Should we really be watching this, guys?" Ryan didn't take his eyes off of the window but he still didn't think it was right to be watching their argument. They had fought a lot – come on, this was Castle and Beckett – but never like this.

"Shush," his partner waved a hand in his direction "it's just getting good."

"You want to say something to my face?" Beckett was very close to his personal bubble right now and with her heels, they were practically eye-to-eye behind the interrogation table. That's where he first saw the shift.

"Yeah." He stepped even closer, showing her with his cobalt eyes that he completely agreed. "I wish I had never asked you to move in with me."

"Well _I_ wish we had never started dating." They were shouting in each other's faces now.

"I wish I had never started following you."

"I wish we had never met."

"Are you as turned on as I am?"

"Even more."

She was pulling him into a passionate kiss before he could process what was going on.

His fingers were cupping the back of her head, keeping her in place – not that she was going anywhere and her hands went from the back of his head to completely leaning into him, her right elbow resting on the back of his shoulder as they wound through his locks. As they drew even closer, he briefly heard a stiletto heel hit the metal table beside him and all of a sudden he was being bent over said table, pushing their hips closer together in a delicious sort of friction that elicited a moan of pleasure from one of them – or both. His one hand left her hair in favour of riding up her thigh over her pant leg while she pushed even farther forward until his knee was bent between her legs and he was practically lying on the table. When his hand reached the top of her thigh, he used the momentum to grab her hips and pull them up, effectively breaking the kiss but maintaining the contact.

Kate, not to be deterred when on a mission, began to place hot kisses all the way from his mouth to his jaw and down the centre of his neck, sucking on his Adam's apple for a split second before she began to undo his buttons and graze her lips and teeth across the newly expose flesh. Castle, to his credit, managed to keep from moving as she continued her assault. He had brought his fingers to her hair to help steady both of them as she went lower and lower until she reached the button of his pants. Knowing she had every intention to continue downwards, he felt the need for one last kiss before he lost all coherent thought.

Pulling her up by her shoulders, he slipped his tongue into her mouth the moment they made contact. They broke occasionally to breathe and change positions but that was it.

"You do know that Ryan and Esposito are probably watching right?" She smiled as she resumed her assault down his now open chest at a faster pace.

"Good, maybe they can learn something." This time when she reached his pants, he didn't stop her. He simply braced himself on the back of the table and watched her tug on the fabric enclosing the button to release it and then grasp onto the zipper and pull down. With his erection aching with the anticipation of freedom, he was about to help her pull them down when her hands, which had lingered on his chest, dug lightly into his chest and pulled down. They also met the top of his pants and she grasped both his dress pants and his boxers and then pulled down. Needing the freedom to move around, he kicked his shoes off and allowed her to pull his bottoms the rest of the way off, tossing them under the table. Still crouched, she looked up at him with a smirk.

"No cold water today." She placed light kisses all the way up his shaft until her nose was in his pubic hair and then she opened her mouth and let her tongue skim over every inch of him. He held her head in place as she continued her ministrations until he was sure he would break. Not in the mood to do this alone, he lifted his knee, causing her to come up from her crouched position and pushed her against the wall opposite the table. Kicking her heels beside his pants, she suddenly sunk lower down so she was level with his neck giving her the perfect opportunity to-

She was stopped by his hands finding the pants of her dress pants and pulling them open while pushing her hips against the wall. Her fingers clung to his shoulders as he bent lower to assault her neck with open mouthed kisses, replacing the hickey which had started to fade from their previous escapade.

As he slowly peeled away her pants from her hips, three heads in the observation room tilted to the side with chorused exclamations of 'oh that's where her tattoo is'.

Not that the couple noticed.

With her pants now around her ankles, she pulled them off with her toes in favour of wrapping around his waist and using gravity to push them against the table. He, however, had other plans for her and pressed back, entering her as her back hit the wall, pushing him deeper inside. Gasping out with surprised pleasure, she missed him slamming his hands down against the wall beside her head and she didn't realise he had pulled out of her until she was locking her ankles behind his back to pull him back in, bucking her hips into his in the process. While she was riding him, he managed to undo her blouse enough to completely reveal her bra-less breasts.

"You are very naughty." He smirked, barely meeting her eyes. "No bra in the work place."

"When was the last time you actually saw my bra at work?"

"When I spilled coffee on you last year." He remembered that day perfectly.

"And you haven't done it since," she was practically pouting; the tease "such a shame." With that thought racing through his head, he lowered his mouth to her left breast and teased it with the tip of his tongue while she continued to shift her hips around, creating a new angle with each push.

They continued stroke for stroke and she could feel the build up curling her toes and blurring her vision but she still cried out when he pumped into her and she threw her head back against the wall in ecstasy. He continued to push her farther and farther up the wall until he emptied himself into her and she collapsed against his shoulder. They hadn't moved far from where they had first started but her hair was a complete mess, having run it's self against the wall at every possible angle from their position. Her hands hadn't moved from his shoulders and his had kept themselves to her upper body but they were both completely spent from the effort of holding each other up.

As soon as she trusted her legs to support themselves, she unhooked her legs and he pulled off the wall so that she could stand properly. They stared at each other with bewildered, glossy expressions before she smiled and shook her head.

"If the captain ever finds out about this, I am going to be suspended."

"I'll probably be kicked out of the precinct; for good." There was a pause before they spoke in unison.

"So worth it."

Ryan, Esposito and Captain Montgomery stood there in stunned silence as the couple slowly, found their pants – they had managed to keep their tops on; open but on.

"Did they just-" Esposito looked at his partner.

"Did _we_ just-" Ryan looked over at his boss with a 'deer-in-headlights' sort of expression.

"That-" Needless to say the boys were speechless – Montgomery especially. The couple had managed to keep it fairly quiet so no one else in the precinct should have seen or heard anything but Esposito had turned the speakers on to hear the argument so they had heard... _everything._ Ryan watched his stunned boss with a sudden feeling of sadness.

"Are you going to suspend her and kick him out?"

Montgomery was silent for a long moment before he turned to his boys with a smile.

"Nah; I'm just happy she didn't kill him. And that I never have to see that again." He was very serious about that last part and the others couldn't help but agree – well mostly.

"Actually..." Esposito hit the 'stop' button on the video machine as the couple in the interrogation room finished tucking in each other's shirts and she smoothed out her hair.

"You _recorded_ it?" Ryan exclaimed incredulously.

"Well I was going to show their fight to Lanie;" he suddenly grinned "but now this is excellent blackmail material." This caused the captain to clear his throat in a scolding sort of way which shut both of the boys up.

"You are to never speak of this again, understand?" Both boys nodded while their inner monologues included thoughts of teasing, sexual innuendos and blackmail.

One thing none of them would discuss, however, was the glimpse they all got of Castle from the front – and how they compared to him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Well I have finally posted an update. Can I just say how overwhelmingly happy it makes me that I have so many fans of this story. It makes me feel awesome inside. Which is good because I am late with my updates on all fronts because I have been less than satisfactory in the feeling department. Here's to feeling better all over. **

**Anyways, e****njoy 3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or anything associated with it.**

* * *

The couple, having dressed and fixed each other, finally exited the interrogation room to find Ryan and Esposito at their respective desks and Captain Montgomery in his office with the door closed. The Captain Montgomery thing neither of them understood but Beckett and Castle shared a secret smile at the two detective's nonchalant attitude.

"What's up?" Beckett walked passed the boys with an extra twist in her hips on her way to the break room while Castle sat in his chair facing away from them, most likely playing 'Angry Birds'.

"Nothing"

"Iduno." The pair spoke simultaneously, eliciting a silly grin from the female detective as she began her work at the espresso machine.

The boys just watched her dumbly for a moment before Esposito cleared his throat. This had been a little more awkward for the two of them than they thought. When Beckett and Castle had started to fight in the interrogation room, they thought it would be a good opportunity to tease them – or even witness the breakup of the century – either way, it would have been good. But the moment they had started playing tonsil-hockey, it had become a definite opportunity to tease them.

The instant they saw where Beckett's tattoo was, they lost all coherent thought.

In a creepy, gross, distorted way, it was like watching live porn which would have been fine – they are men after all – but then discovering that your younger sister is the star. It made an unforgettable impression on the back of your skull. One they hadn't realized was there until they saw her lean against the back of the counter to drink her espresso.

It was like everything conjured up images of that room – the one that Montgomery was currently ordering to have sanitized.

All of it.

One of them had to escape but it was after their lunch break and they were technically in the middle of a case. Esposito subtly grabbed the CD of the 'interrogation' and stood. He may not find it all that amusing but Lanie probably would – well most of it.

"I'm uh- I'm gonna go see if Lanie has anything knew for the case before she leaves." He announced to his boss as she exited with a half cup of foamy richness in her hand. Just the narration that he created in his head brought him back to that room and so he quickly lowered his gaze from her's and scampered off to the elevator with his tail between his legs.

Beckett waited until the elevator doors were closed to bite her lip and close her eyes in amusement.

"You want an excuse to leave so badly don't you?" She smirked at the Irishman who hadn't actually looked at anything but her shoes since she left the interrogation room.

"Oh so badly." He muttered, his pale cheeks turning an adorable shade of pink.

"I'll tell you what," Beckett gave him a sincere smile. As much fun as it was to tease her boys, she couldn't continually torture them "why don't you head off to a late lunch? I'm pretty sure you didn't eat during your break." She _had_ to glare at him. "I'll call you if something comes up." The shorter detective immediately rose from his chair and kind of sort of half looked at his boss – a feat which she greatly appreciated – and snapped his fingers awkwardly at her.

"Thank you." He opened his mouth a few more times before nothing else seemed appropriate so he simply grabbed his coat and practically ran to the elevator.

This time, Beckett didn't wait for the doors before she burst in light laughter and made her way to her desk, the sound bringing Castle out of his game. She plopped down into her chair and slumped slightly as her laughter continued. For his part, he saw no reason to do anything other than watch her as she glowed with happiness. It was a full minute in her chair – with officers and detectives occasionally gaping in awe of the stone-cold detective giggling like a little girl – before the laughter finally subsided and Beckett gave a long, over-dramatic sigh.

"I think we officially scarred the kids, Rick." It seemed impossible to wipe the grin off her face and now that he had context, Castle decided to join in.

"Oh I know. Did you see how fast Esposito ran out of here?"

"Well actually," her grin had tilted into a mischievous smirk "I think that had more to do with where he was going."

"The morgue?"

"Lanie." She slapped his chest playfully, pulling herself up completely erect in her chair.

"Oh that's right." He lightly rubbed the spot where she had slapped him as he thought. "You know, if you think about it, it's sort of sweet… in a really sad sort of way."

"What do you mean?"

"Well Esposito still carrying a torch for Lanie even though they broke up over a year ago."

"And she's married."

"Well that doesn't matter so much." He shrugged, earning himself his special 'Beckett' glare. "Kidding. Jeez, I was kidding." She pretended to glare at him for a moment before she finally turned to her paper-filled desk.

"I get what you mean though." She sighed to herself. "It is sort of sweet that he's still in love with her."

"But he needs to move one."

"Oh yeah."

The elevator doors across town opened the world – and the smell – of dead justice onto Esposito. He inhaled light, still clutching the CD, used to overwhelming smells that wafted through the halls. As he descended the hallway, heading towards Lanie's office, he became faintly aware of the sound of giggles swimming to his ears.

He knew that giggle anywhere.

Opening the door to her office, he shielded his eyes and pursed his lips tightly together. It wasn't so much that he had been… exposed to twice in an hour. It was just that he couldn't stand it.

He couldn't handle Lanie being with anyone other than him. It just didn't make any sense.

So seeing his former lover, bent over her own desk with her skirt hiked up around her hips and her new husband with his hands up her thighs and into her shirt wasn't his favourite image. He waited until the shuffling the smoothing of clothing had died down for him to finally look up at Colin's uncomfortable look and Lanie's embarrassed, apologetic expression.

"Hey." He cleared his throat at the sight of the empty desk – well except for Lanie sitting on top with her legs crossed.

"Hey." She muttered in response not meeting his eyes – out of embarrassment of course.

Colin, seemingly oblivious to the underlying tension – but well aware of the one of the surface – extended his hand stiffly. "Javier right?"

"Esposito." The detective replied stiffly, causing Lanie to wince at the hostile awkward moment her two men were having. Yes she still considered Esposito her man – if only in a professional manner.

"Esposito;" the man corrected himself "I saw you at the wedding right?"

"I was sitting at the table next to you." He tried to sound casual but he just couldn't around Colin. This was the man who had stolen his woman and he hated having to smile and nod at him.

"Right, right of course." The tall brunette shook his head. "I apologize if I was more focused on my beautiful bride." He beamed at Lanie, making the other man present want to run to the nearest garbage can and gag for several hours. Lanie, on the other hand, was eating it up, giving the muscular man – though Esposito refused to admit it – a 'come hither' type of look that promised him more when they got home.

The detective, unable to stand it any longer, cleared his throat again. "I just came to drop something off to Lanie before she left." He held out the CD but suddenly felt awkward giving it to the woman with her husband in the room. She didn't let him hold on to that thought for too long before she was snatching it up, obviously glad to find a break in the tension.

"What is it?" Despite knowing she was going to ask him that, he still blushed.

"It's a… video… of Castle and Beckett." Colin gave a rather confused look, vaguely recognizing the names but Lanie simply looked at him with that mischievous curiosity on her face.

"Doing what exactly."

"Well I wanted to record them fighting so that you could yell at Beckett later…"

"But then…"

"Then… they made up."

"Oh really?" She gave him a suspicious look.

"Technically yes."

"What do you mean _technically_?" Colin finally spoke up.

"Well… Ryan and the Captain and I got to witness them reaching a new level of their relationship."

"Ryan _and_ the Captain?" The ME – soon to be former ME – had caught on to his meaning and nearly choked upon hearing that Beckett's boss had witnessed such an intimate moment.

"Yeah."

"This should make for an interesting view then."

"Can I watch with you?"

"No!" The former lovers piped up at the same time, causing the newlyweds to glance at each other – one with wide, panicked eyes, the other with pure confusion and suspicion.

"Alright then…"

Sensing the shift in emotion, Esposito cleared his throat – he briefly wondered if he was just coming down with something. "Well I should get going." He rocked on his heels.

"Uh yeah." Lanie clutched the CD a little tighter as the two men shook hands awkwardly once again.

"It was nice to see you again." Colin added. Esposito simply grunted in response.

Before anyone could say anything else, he was out the door.


	6. AN

**Dear Loving Readers,**

**I write to you with a heavy heart with information regarding my fictions. I regret to inform you that it may be a considerable amount of time before I can completely focus on them and as a result they may be neglected for the next few months. As I shall graduate in seven days and then put all of my effort into scribing my diplomas, I fear I shall not have a spare moments until late June. I sincerely wish that you wait for my return at which time I shall write in the fashion of a madwoman to bring to you, my readers, more fiction. I understand that this is a difficult time for everyone with the passing of our dear friend Captain Montgomery and the impending survival of Ms. Katherine Beckett - a survival which is guaranteed but shaky - but I must leave you in the hands of other writers to comfort you until I, myself, am recovered from this tragedy. Thank you for being so loyal up until this point and I pray that when I return, you shall be here and waiting. As a way to pass the hours of this long and dreary month, may I suggest, making speculations about what may happen come September or what will happen in one of my fictions. I shall be posting this letter in all of my stories so I feel there is only a need to read this once but if it so pleases you, you may read this letter again and again.**

**Again, I offer my sincerest apologizes at my lack of time but my school work must - unfortunately - take priority in my life.**

**Regards,**

**C.J.E.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm ba-ack! I return to you with a Gifted Education Diploma in Academic Excellence and a University Acceptance for the fall. Woot! I know I promised I would have this sooner but end of the year things took a bit longer than expected so I'm a very sorry. I do, however, return with a plan for 'Glass Slippers', I Dream of Murder', 'Turnabout', two seperate one shots AND a new multi-chapter fic to be released in the next month. I'll have updates for my regular stories within the next few days, I promise. Now on to _this_ chapter.**

**Moving Day is probably one of my favorite stories to write so I'm glad you guys like it too. I'm hoping you'll enjoy this little bit of fun here and that it will help you forget that it's been over a month since I last updated. This particular chapter is dedicated to DarlingDracorex to whom I promised to write this scene for over a month ago. I told you I would update. I just didn't say when. **

**Enjoy 3**

* * *

It had been three hours since the little incident in the interrogation room. No one else seemed to have witnessed their moment of weakness so everything went back to almost normalcy. Montgomery had been in and out of his office but he refused to look at either Beckett or Castle and Ryan had returned from his lunch after an hour but he still hadn't said a single word to the couple and he barely looked up from his paperwork.

Shortly after Ryan had left, the humour had worn off and the magnitude of the situation they were in truly hit them. Three of the closest people in their life had just witnessed them having sex – and one of them was their boss. This was not good for their relationship. They still hadn't discussed what put them in that situation so they decided it was best for everyone if it was just never brought up again. Esposito still hadn't returned and they were starting to become slightly concerned for their friend's safety.

"Hey Ryan…" Beckett tried to act casual for his sake but it just didn't work. Her voice cracked a little and her Irish partner still didn't look up when he acknowledged her.

"Yeah Beckett?"

"Have you heard from Esposito?"

"Yeah he texted me about an hour ago and said he would be taking the rest of the day off; said something about not feeling well. I already cleared it with the Captain." Beckett was a little shocked. Neither of the boys had taken any time off without talking to her first since… since forever. Well she couldn't really blame them for feeling a little awkward around them but it still stung a little.

"Oh." She said simply before standing. She needed some coffee anyways so she took the opportunity to take a private moment and get over herself. As she was about to enter the break room with her mug of coffee, she heard someone exclaim in surprise and she turned just as a painter lost the grip on his spray can of paint and he grabbed with his other hand, his index finger landing on the trigger.

The force of his catch cased the fumes to release from the canister, spraying directly in Beckett's face. She immediately shut her mouth and closed her eyes, placing her free hand in front of her face to shield herself. After a moment, she turned away to cough and stumbled into the break room. Still waving away excess fumes, she began making her espresso.

By the time her beverage was ready and she was walking back to her seat, she felt more light-headed than clear-headed. She nearly missed her chair as she sat down in a daze and had Castle not moved the chair forward to catch her, she would have met the floor and the coffee would have met her blouse; and she still wasn't wearing a bra – as much as Rick would have loved to see his fiancée in a wet shirt, this was not the place or time. This was the place and time to make sure that the detective he was shadowing was alright.

"You okay?" He chuckled lightly, trying to make the question without consequence.

"Yeah," she grabbed her head, placing the mug safely on her desk "just a little woozy I guess. I must have inhaled some of those paint fumes." Nodding in concerned understanding, he withdrew his hand from her's and sat back, watching her look back at her pile of paperwork out of the corner of his eye. For a few minutes she was feeling a little drowsy and then it seemed like she was suddenly given a bottle of caffeine pills.

She was wide awake, fully alert, and… giggling? This was not good.

When he heard her giggle, he looked at her and then looked down at her paperwork and stared wide-eyed at the doodles she had drawn all over it. She hadn't written a single word, simply drawn rainbows, stars and stick bunnies.

He looked at her to find her grinning proudly and poorly holding back a stifle. He grabbed the side of her face to hold her steady while he looked directly into her eyes. Her pupils were completely dilated.

"Oh my god you're high." He muttered, subconsciously praying that no one else noticed them. They had gotten enough attention today.

"No I'm not." She smiled brightly, starting to swing side to side in her chair. Alright he needed to get her out of here quickly.

"Alright Kate, you need to stay here for two seconds I'm just going to talk to Captain Montgomery okay?" He didn't wait for her to register his voice before he was dashing towards the Captain's office. After explaining that Kate was feeling under the weather – they both had paused to watch Beckett twirl around in her chair – Castle left the office but somewhere in the last thirty seconds, she had disappeared.

_Oh Shit,_ he thought, running towards Ryan's desk, _this will not end well_.

"Ryan, did you see where Beckett went?" The Irishman looked at him a little dazed for a moment before pointing towards the elevator.

"I saw her _skip_ out of here. Is she okay?"

"Yeah," Castle answered distractedly "she's just tired."

He almost didn't hear Ryan mutter 'I bet' as he ran head on down the stairs – figuring it would be faster – and was right out the door. Out in the real world, he had no idea which direction Kate had gone in. He had no idea what sort of mental state she was in and he had no idea what was going to happen once he found her. That's when he heard a girl stumble into a hotdog stand at the end of the street and he turned to see a very giddy Kate apologizing to the vendor who was between amused and extremely annoyed at her. Acting quickly, Rick ran and grabbed Kate around the shoulders, pulling her towards the road where he intended to hail a taxi to take them home.

"Come on honey, let's get you home." She suddenly stopped and frowned.

"What did I say about calling me honey?" He winced. She remembered.

"Sorry-"

"You need to pick a better name for me."

"Like what?" He kept speaking as he raised his arm to hail the taxi that wasn't stopping for him, hoping to distract her into not running away.

"I don't know something better." Then she looked at him and whispered in his ear. "Something really dirty." She bit his ear a little too hard and he pulled his face away from her's.

"I'll tell you what we'll talk about this when we get home."

"Mmm home." She mumbled, resting her head against his chest. The woman was changing emotions like that. It was starting to worry him. "I like that we're living together; I don't even care that you spoke to the press about us."

He did a double take, lowering his hand just before the taxi saw him.

"What? I never talked to the press."

"I read the article that was released today. They said you had talked to them about us moving in." He pulled her back so he could look into her dilated eyes.

"Kate I swear I never said anything to the press about us; at all. I would never do that." She looked at him innocently for a moment before she reached for the back of his neck and smiled.

"I believe you." And then her tongue was trying to lick the back of his neck from the inside. The smutty writer in him was enjoying every sensation that she was bringing out as her tongue explored his mouth and her almost perfectly manicured hands explored his ass, moulding it like playdough. However the sensible fiancée knew that they were in a very public place and managed to pull apart just long enough for him to drag her in the opposite direction of the onlookers. He wasn't in the mood to go crowd swimming.

They had made it a few blocks together when Kate suddenly became very interested in something across the street. Deciding that she had to check it out right away, she stepped out onto the busy street and safely walked across in a daze while Rick was nearly hit three times on his way over. He caught up to her as she entered Central Park.

"What are you doing?" He cocked his head to the side as he watched her approach one of the larger trees.

"Why don't you come up here and find out." She giggled as she disappeared from his sight. Shaking his head, knowing he would regret this, he followed her to the tree and was about half way into the branches, mostly obscured from the outside world, when a hand grabbed his collar and he lost his balance. He caught himself on a branch, his back balanced over the top of it and once he was sure that he wouldn't fall, he opened his eyes. Leaning against the trunk of the tree, her bare feet dangerously close to his thighs was a very sultry looking Kate – he vaguely remembered seeing her high heels thrown near the base of the tree. She pointed her toe and it brushed across the tip of his crotch, causing him to jump and shuffle back slightly, a task not easily accomplished when you are balancing on a tree branch.

"Kate we should get down now." He stuttered, knowing that look in her eyes. She may be a little high but she seemed to know what she was doing. She tucked her legs under herself and began to crawl cautiously over to Rick's very helpless body, her hips and shoulder blades twisting as she moved.

"Oh come on Ricky," he found her mouth millimetres away from his ear "let's have some fun first." She licked the inside of his ear and he shuddered involuntarily. He had to focus; he needed to get her home before they both did something very stupid. He closed his eyes as her knee brushed over his pants and he realised just how effective Kate was at turning him on no matter where they were. She manoeuvred so that she was sitting on his centre, his legs tucked around his legs and he grabbed her hips as he felt the branch begin to sway slightly. He pushed her backwards and used her weight to pull himself with her so that her back was pressed up against the truck and his knees were tucked up, supporting her ass. She leaned her head back and he saw her chest rise in a sigh, remembering what was underneath that blouse – or rather, wasn't. She rolled her shoulders forward, coming all the way down to his face, her lips hovering over his. With a smile, she deserted his face move straight for his collar bone, placing open mouthed kissed all the way to the top of his shirt. She arched her back into him, her chest spilling out of her shirt, as she pulled the buttons of his shirt off one by one, trailing her tongue and teeth after her fingers.

He knew it was a stupid thing to let her keep going but he couldn't let go of the tree so all he could do was watch as she opened his shirt torturously slow and graze her nails across his nipples as her tongue reached his clenched stomach.

Such torture.

He squeezed her hips a little tighter as he felt his erection press against her core and she hummed against his stomach. Knowing exactly what she was planning, he clenched his stomach muscles and pushed forward, coming to a sitting position in front of Kate who was consequently thrust against the tree, causing her chest and hips to drive farther forward, directly into Rick. Using all of his weight, he held her against the tree while his mouth found her's in nothing less than a passionate, heated moment. He felt her moan and reach for his belt buckle but he stopped her and held both of her hands above her head, her body sinking lower and closer to Rick's. This time he didn't stop her when her hips circled and ground into his and he pushed her a little farther against the trunk, pulling their cores tighter together.

Kate, ever in the playful mood, snickered as she left his lips to run her tongue up to his ear and blow ever so gently into it, producing a primal growl from Rick's chest – one he didn't acknowledge as he was too busy ravaging her neck. Satisfied with the result, she tried again but this time he did acknowledge it and proceeded to suck roughly on her collar bone. Overcome by a painful pleasure, she grabbed the lapels of his open shirt and pushed back in order to take back control of the situation. Rick, however, was not expecting this and struggled to regain his balance… a little too late.

Before either could really acknowledge what was happening, Rick had fallen to the side, flipped over his shoulder and landed in a heap on the grass. He looked up at Kate who was stunned for a moment before she burst into a fit of laughter at his expense – and at their situation. Rick was about to join her when he felt a shadow looming over him. He lifted his gaze to see a uniformed officer glaring down at him with an amused eyebrow raised.

"Hello officer." The man was about to respond when the two men suddenly heard a squeal and a thump as Kate landed beside Rick, her hair in tangles and her shirt completely askew, exposing most of her breasts. She was winded for a moment but she turned her face up towards the officer and smiled as though she were simply pacing him by on the street.

"Hey Jerry, what's up?" Both eyebrows shot up as the officer recognized the hard-core detective – a phrase that suddenly found new meaning.

"Detective Beckett?" Kate sat up in the grass and fixed her hair as she turned to stand but didn't both adjusting her top so when she faced Jerry the officer, he had a very nice view of her front; one that Rick did not appreciate. Standing quickly, Rick faced Kate and swiftly pulled her top down, holding her hands still when she tried to undo a few of the buttons.

'Behave' he mouthed to her before turning back to the new-comer.

"Hey, Jerry was it? We are so sorry about this; I'm just going to take Kate home if that's alright with you?" Jerry was still trying to blink away images of Beckett so resorted to nodding as Rick lead his very dazed and playful fiancée the long way out of Central Park and towards the street where he was hoping to _finally_ claim a cab.

The needed to get home. Now.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, I am so incredibly sorry for the late update but I've been doing a show all month and tonight was closing night so I'll try and get more on top of my updates. Well, technically I _was_ updating just not any or my multi-chapter stories so I do apologize. I hope those of you who read Fruit Flies enjoyed that little bit of fluff (for those of you who missed it, you should check out my profile for the story). This said, I leave on Saturday for a week so there won't be an update for anything until I get back. Sorry guys! I haven't abandoned you, I've just been busy. **

**Great news, I have acquired a BETA who will be editing all of my stories so please thank her for her bravery. Her user name is MegK1978 so give her a shout out. And also check out her company 'Just Write! Ink'. You can find it on facebook and other places I'm sure. **

**That's it for now!**

**Enjoy 3**

* * *

Kate was awoken by the sound of jackhammers pounding through her entire body. It was not an enjoyable feeling; at all. The worst feeling, however, was trying to figure out how she had gotten into Rick's bed – their bed, she reminded herself. The last thing she remembered with even vague coherency was running in the direction of Central Park. Central Park was a long way from home. How the hell had she ended up here?

Turning over into the ever-fluffy pillow, she winced and groaned, cringing in unrecognizable pain. Why was she so sore? Sex with Rick hadn't left her stiff since they had started doing it, and that was months ago. Either it was so good that she blacked out, which was unlikely – she loved him but...no – or it was an entirely new sort of ache. She was going to go with door number two. Taking a breath, she gummed her lips and rolled to stand as quickly as possible in her current state and took another breath as the rest of her organs caught up with her. She hazily remembered not finding Rick in the bedroom but assumed he would be making her breakfast. He always made her breakfast.

Wait, what time was it?

Glancing around furiously for a clock – wondering if she looked like a dog chasing its tail – she read the time to be 6:30AM. A reasonable time – she hoped. First things first; she had to find Rick so that he could fill in the blanks. Glancing down at her attire to find herself in one of his blue button-downs and a pair of cotton underwear, she deemed herself presentable for Rick but not the rest of the family. So she set about finding a pair of sweatpants to put on. She had just pulled out a worn pair of navy 'NYPD' sweats when there was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Yup?" She slid the pants over her butt just as the door opened, revealing an anxious looking fiancé in boxers and a grey t-shirt, carrying a tray of toast, orange juice, and – of course – coffee. "Rick, I was just coming to find you."

"How are you feeling?"

The new fabric on her rear end suddenly brought a sharp pain through her back, causing her to wince in answer to his question.

He was at her side in an instant, having placed the tray on the dresser as he passed it, gently massaging her back as she arched against him.

"What the hell happened?" She sighed when he reached a tight knot in her back. Realizing that he was going to end up giving her a full massage, he pulled her waist towards the bed and indicated for her to lie on her stomach. Once she was positioned, he straddled her thighs and began kneading the small of her back where he knew she had fallen.

"Well... you were accidentally sprayed with some of paint fumes while they were remodelling the precinct."

She hummed in response. "I remember that; it's what happened afterwards that I don't remember."

"Right; that." The tone in his voice and the way he slowed his movements was enough to cause her ears to perk up. She patiently waited for him to continue.

"Well, the fumes made you a little... happy." It took half a heartbeat for her to understand his meaning and her eyes were shut within the second half of that beat.

"I was high at work?"

"Well, actually nothing too bad happened at work." He sounded reassuring but she was too comfortable under his hands to really analyze his tone.

"Then what-"

"It's what happened when I chased you into Central Park." She just shook her head – what else was she supposed to do?

"Oh god."

"Funny, that's what you said in the park as well." He had meant to say it to himself – to lighten the mood a bit – but it didn't exactly work that way.

"WHAT?" She physically shot up from the bed, tucked her knees under herself and spun so that she was nose-to-nose with him. "What the hell happened in the park?" Frozen in shock for a full minute, Rick finally ignored the little voice in his head telling him to lie, and went for it.

"Well, when you were... high... you were a bit...horny. And I tried to resist you!" he insisted in a slightly higher tone – now fearing for not only his male parts but the rest of his anatomy as well. "I swear! But then you started touching me, I was curious 'cause I've never done it in a tree, and then-"

"Wait." He could see doe eyed pain that was ripping through them as she processed yesterday's events. "We had sex in a tree in Central Park."

"No." He hoped to bring her at least a slice of peace.

"No?" She dipped her head, hoping that hearing him confirm it from a different angle would sooth her reeling mind.

"No; luckily I fell out of the tree before anything could happen."

"Oh good." She probably wouldn't have said it so casually if she had been paying attention, but she was slowly putting the pieces together. She must have fallen after him, which is how she got the knots and bruises.

"But ..."

Oh crap, why is there always a 'but'?

"You do owe an officer named Jerry a very large gift basket."

Her jaw dropped; she remembered her old friend from the academy – who had been assigned to patrol the park – and she feared for his sanity. "What did he see?"

"Too much for my liking."

Her head hit his shoulder with a well deserved moan and he stayed in place to hide her burgundy blush from the world. "Oh god, Rick."

"Hey," he tried to soothe her – maybe she could handle that right now. "It's not like any of this was your fault."

She looked up to rest her chin on his boney shoulder. "Yeah, but I have to deal with the consequences."

"We'll deal with it together."

She knew what he was doing; and while she was grateful, she would not stand for being comforted. "Shut up." She smacked his chest just hard enough to let him know she appreciated his efforts. After a moment of contently staring at each other, Kate finally decided that it was time to get ready for work.

"Come on." She used his knee for leverage as she struggled to her feet. She could really use that back massage. Oh well, there was plenty of time for that later. "It's time to face the music." He remained on the edge of the bed as he watched her pull her shirt over her head and pull the sweatpants off, leaving her in nothing but a pair of cotton underwear.

When they had finally made it home last night, it had taken himself and Julio the doorman to get her into the loft; from there, he'd been in such a bad mood that he figured he would have a little fun. He had learnt his lesson from the tree incident; he didn't dare have his way with her – but at least he got to undress her and leave her in the bare minimum.

That was his little treat for handling the situation so smoothly.

Watching her undress again was just like opening the best present ever for a second time; you know what's underneath the wrapping but you still get that little thrill every time you open it. Humming in satisfaction, he offered a leering gaze at her amused eyes – this part never got old; the silent conversations that almost always led to something.

Admiring her body as she slowly approached him, he reached his hand out to pull her between his legs. He loved her body – as any man would – but mostly he loved how comfortable she was to just stand there, exposing all of herself to him. "You know, I still haven't gotten my good morning kiss."

"Oh really?" She smirked, playing with their interlaced fingers trailing up and down his stomach. "We'll just have to rectify that situation, now won't we?" And thus, she lowered her head for their lips to meet in a closed-mouth wake-up call. It was more like a series of short bursts of "good morning" that moved in no particular direction but were enjoyable nonetheless.

Until Rick moved back to lie on the bed, hoping to bring his fiancée with him and found that she had other ideas. Letting gravity pull them apart, Kate tapped his chest to knock him straight onto the bed and offered an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Big Rick, not this morning. We have way too much damage control to deal with."

Pouting from his position on the bed, his arms and legs spread wide, he lifted his head to watch her as she sauntered towards the bathroom. "Hey, don't leave me hanging here." It was the smile that undid him as she turned to look over her shoulder.

"Trust me, babe, there is nothing hanging over there." He promptly looked in the direction her eyes followed and rolled his eyes, patting down the slight erection and using the momentum to sit up.

"You're just a tease."

"Oh come on, old man, you can take it." She couldn't help teasing him; he was just so easy.

Proof: He had bolted from the bed and was heading in her direction before she had even finished her sentence. Luckily, her cop reflexes had not been affected by yesterday's adventures and she was able to slam the door in his face, nearly smashing his nose in the process.

As she stepped into the shower, she almost laughed out loud at the constant pounding at the door with shouts of "vile woman", "I'll show you 'old'" and "your breakfast is getting cold".

He was just too damned cute in the morning.


	9. Chapter 9

**I am so sorry guys. I added... content! I didn't mean to, I swear it just happened. The next chapter will be mindless smut I promise just bear with me. Glass Slipper will be out ASAP, I just need to do some tweeking then editing and then you shall have it.**

**Thanks again to my lovely and faithful beta whose head has yet to explode. Congratulations.**

**That's it for now!**

**Enjoy 3**

* * *

The morning proceeded as normal as possible; Kate and Rick _finally_ managed to get dressed and drove to work in record time. They were too drained from the day before to do anything more than brush hands in the elevator. When the familiar ding indicated that they had arrived on the correct floor, they took an extra step apart in honour of what little dignity they had left. Knowing the extensive gossip chain that ran through the NYPD, there was no doubt in their minds that everyone in their department knew about the incident in Central Park – maybe they would only offer Jerry a small gift basket – however when they stepped onto the floor, they were greeted with an oddly-pleasant sight.

No one was staring, smirking, or even snickering. In fact, the only acknowledgement they received of their presence in the Homicide Division of the 12th Precinct was the occasional nod of a passing officer. Could it be that there _was_ no rumour? That seemed unlikely given the amount of betting that went on 'behind their backs' – neither of them would forget the rather expensive dinner that Ryan had treated them all to just after they had announced their relationship. But what could possibly explain the lack of conspiratorial whispers as they walked side-by-side to Beckett's desk? Simultaneously removing their jackets as they neared their respective chairs, they exchanged a single confused and worried look before draping their coats over and sitting slowly in their chairs. Beckett ignored the lack of gossip in favour of getting some work done while Castle folded his legs and observed the busy precinct.

From his position, he could see the Captain on what appeared to be a rather tedious phone call, given his hunched shoulders and the notepad he seemed to be doodling on. With a slight shake of his head, Castle moved on, his eye falling on Ryan and Esposito each typing furiously, most likely catching up on some paperwork in the calm of a bodiless morning.

Castle hated to admit it but sometimes, he liked not having a murder to solve. Yes, it could get a little boring at times, but he was starting to _like_ the quiet that always fell over the two pairs when they weren't hot on a case. It offered time to reflect and relax; to catch their breath before another murder cluttered up their lives. Oh, he loved a good murder mystery – if he didn't, he was in the wrong profession – the thrill of the chase, the endless twists, the sexually-charged banter, getting to slip his hand into Beckett's as they hauled their criminal off to prison; he lived for it.

But he was growing to love the down time just as much because that was when Beckett let her guard down and became Kate, the one who snuggled under a blanket with him as they watched some ridiculous black-and-white thriller just as the city was settling into sleep. That was his favourite Kate – next to Detective Beckett, of course; she was the epitome of sexy and controlling. So yes, over the past few years that he had been shadowing her, he had grown to love the boring moments as much as the action-packed ones. Oh no, he realized, he was turning into a sap. Throwing a glance to Kate, he shook his head in astonishment. This woman was going to be the death of him.

Apparently, he had stared too long because the next thing he knew, she was glaring at him in an attempt to break his trance. When he still didn't wipe that ridiculous grin off his face – the one that told her he was deliriously happy – she cleared her throat in a rather forceful manner, causing Castle to jump from his chair with a start. "I'm-I'm-" he wildly pointed in the direction of the break room, suddenly at a loss for words- "I'm going to go and get some coffee. You want some?"

Beckett shrugged slightly and waved him away, turning back to her work.

The moment he had turned away in a flustered haze, she let a smile peek out from the side of her lips, watching him fumble around the coffee machine. She loved to rile up her boy – in every imaginable way possible – but there was something about the innocent, almost scared little schoolboy that peaked his head out whenever she teased him that was simply irresistible. When he was in this state, he almost seemed more attractive than when he was naked and leering at her from the bed. It was adorable, if she was being honest – not that she would ever be honest... out loud.

She had a reputation to uphold; a reputation she had been building since she began training for the police force. She was the stone-cold woman who could break even the hardest of criminals. At least, she _used_ to be able to break any criminal. It seemed as though once she met Castle, it didn't seem as easy to break them. It was easy to stare a cold-hearted criminal in the face, because she was just as hardened and cold.

And then Castle had come into her life, slowly melting her heart until she was willing to break down the cement barrier and let him cuddle with her while she indulged in the wonders of Classic Drama. She had never done that with anyone, and while she was eternally grateful to him for opening her heart, she also realized that it had changed the way she did her job. Oh, sure, she was still a hard ass when it came to bringing murderers to justice; she just couldn't stare them directly in the eyes anymore. She always looked at the bridge of their nose or the little dip at the edge of their eye; levelling her eyes to theirs seemed impossible.

Because now she had someone waiting for her at home – figuratively at first, now literally – and that made it a little harder. When the thought first occurred to her, she was upset with Rick for breaking her and risking her life, because she was more cautious on the job than before. However, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it wasn't him; it was her. She was more careful at work because she _wanted_ to come home to him. She couldn't stare into the eyes of a criminal because she wasn't the same person. She wasn't weaker or stranger because of Castle; she was simply different, and she was glad for it. Oh no, she realized, she was becoming sentimental. Shaking her head at Castle, she smiled. Oh well.

"So how was your night last night?" Esposito's voice as he loomed over her desk brought her from her thoughts with a jolt and she threw a glare similar to the one she had tossed to her fiancé earlier. Turning back to her computer, she cleared her throat pointedly and ignored the obvious blush creeping up on her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Her voice was a little higher than usual – a clear indication that she was lying – but she hoped that the trained detective didn't notice.

"Come on, Beckett." Esposito used his best 'I'm your brother and I love you but this is too good _not_ to tease you' voice. She'd always hated that voice. "Officer Anderson came over yesterday afternoon and told us about your little adventure in the park."

She tried – she really did – to keep her face as still and nonchalant as possible, but it just didn't work. "How is it that you all know about what happened and no one has said anything until now?"

She saw the Hispanic detective's expression visibly soften as he unfolded his arms and propped his arms against her desk. "Captain's orders." They both looked over at their captain and mentor with a different level of respect.

Beckett smiled as the Captain finished his one-sided conversation with the Commissioner – the only reason he had a blank notebook and a pen by his desk at all times – before turning back to her friend with sincerity. "Thank you, Esposito. I know it must be killing you to not hold this over my head."

"Hell, yeah." He pushed off her desk with a smirk "I think we're all just glad you're not hurt."

Offering her co-worker a sideways grin, she mouthed another 'thank you' as she heard her fiancé finally return with their drinks. She stood as Esposito turned to leave and found that Castle was standing right behind him with two steaming cups of coffee in hand. Esposito managed to shift and dodge the oncoming disaster, but Beckett was not as lucky. In an instant, she was chest-to-chest with Castle, leaving the coffee with nowhere else to go but down her shirt. Releasing a high-pitched gasp in surprise, Beckett's mouth flew open as she cringed at the searing hot liquid dripping down her chest and soaking through her cream blouse.

"Castle!" she hissed, pinching the material now clinging to her breasts and airing it out roughly as she pushed past her fiancé. "Go and get me another drink. This time" she paused for dramatic effect "just leave it on the desk." She dashed to the safety of the change rooms. She opened her locker in search of clean clothes when she heard a voice from the door.

"You're wearing a bra today." He sounded rather disappointed, but she knew he wasn't completely serious. Last month, when the same thing had happened, she had been forced to go braless to work due to lack of laundry time. It had led to an interesting altercation between herself and her lusty fiancé regarding proper work attire. It hadn't come up again since their little incident in the interrogation room. Of course, Rick _would _notice that she was actually obeying the dress code at the precinct – after all, when _wasn't_ he staring at her boobs?

_When he's looking into your eyes as though you're the only woman in the world,_ the little voice in her head pointed out. _The man loves you – for some strange reason – and while he's still a man – a well-endowed man, in many ways – he's also a gentleman. Of course, he was staring at your boobs because he was concerned for your pride. Last month you practically flashed the entire precinct while you ran to change your shirt. Remember the fight you guys had before you _distracted_ him? He wasn't just teasing you about it, he was telling you to be careful. He cares about you way more than you deserve so don't try and categorize him with other men._

"Shut up!" she spat at herself, not realizing it had been out loud. She didn't often have conversations with herself, but they were usually centred around Castle. The fact that the voice in her head was yet again siding with him annoyed her to no end.

"Sorry." His voice was stung with surprise and it pulled her back to reality.

She felt as though she had just come to the surface after deep-water diving. Everything around her was intensified but hazy. The smells that often accompanied a sweaty locker room were enough to gag her. She could feel steam rising from every inch of the room that seemed to shift with every breath she took. Her eyes finally met his and she suddenly felt the depth of her disconnection to everything around her. Only he could make her feel like that; like everything was out of her control. But, she liked that feeling in the bedroom, not at work. At work she needed to feel the power that came from being able to control every possible detail. Yes, her suspects could be unpredictable, but she still always had the upper hand. No matter what, she always had her next move planned out.

And then she had met Richard Castle, and suddenly nothing was in her control. He messed with her plans, with her mind, with her heart. And the worst part was she liked it. It pained her to admit that all her planning hadn't prepared her for falling head over heels in love with the most immature, spoiled little man she had ever met. And she was okay with that. More than okay, in fact; she was going to marry the man-child.

_No,_ she scolded herself, Richard Castle was a meddling little hermit who was so used to buying his way through life that he just came and ruined all of her plans without any regard for anyone else. Before Castle, life was simple: go to work, catch the bad guy, go home. Now she was going to dinner and movies and family events with people who weren't technically her family. Before Castle, she'd never had inner monologues where she argued with herself.

"Shit," she muttered, slamming her locker closed.

"What's wrong?" And there was the sweet, innocently concerned man that was the object of her constant frustration. Why did he have to be so damn lovable?

"I forgot to replace my shirt after laundry day." She felt rather than heard him approach her cautiously. She was startled to hear a rustling sound that almost broke her resolve.

"Here," he offered, "you can have my jacket until we can go home and get you a new one."

She bit her tongue at his referral to the loft as 'home' – she wasn't quite at that bridge yet – and focused on the chivalrous Castle, who needed to do a lot more grovelling.

"No, I think I want a new shirt. I will never be able to get the stains out of this one, so I am out an extra shirt for work." Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the hint of a teasing smile and subtly shook her head. He was going to make the comment she knew he would make from the moment she opened her mouth. _Here it comes._

"Well I suppose you could always go commando today, Detective."

She suppressed the shiver that rose at the suggestiveness of his tone, pulling up the last of her frustrations with herself and turned it on him in a last attempt to regain control. Without saying a word, Kate Beckett turned and shot her fiancé the hardest glare she had ever given. If she wasn't mistaken, the temperature in the room dropped at least ten degrees. She watched as Castle's eyes widened dramatically and he visibly paled as sheer panic rose to his lips.

"Kidding! I'm kidding." He raised his hands in an attempt to calm her as they both moved in the same direction – she pushing Castle against the nearest wall. "I-I-I will buy you a new shirt, I promise." He squeaked as his back brushed the cold, heartless cement. He cringed and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the looming presence of his very steamed fiancée. It took a moment to register that she was patting his cheek comfortingly.

"I'll run and grab my purse." She grabbed the jacket that was now mostly off his shoulders, draping it over her own as she sauntered out of the locker room, leaving a very confused –two parts frightened, one part aroused – Castle slinking cross the wall to the door so he could go and start the car.

What had just happened? He had only meant to tease Kate with her lack of… lack of undergarments, and it had turned into some strange inner monologue for Kate that he would give anything to have heard. What was she thinking about when she thought those things? Was it something magical or maybe something dark and evil, lurking in the shadows of her subconscious? No matter what, he wished he could understand how Kate could go from frustrated to flushing to agitated, all in one breath. It was bewildering at best. Still, when she didn't punish him for being a cheeky ass- he didn't mind when she punished him for _having_ a cheeky ass – he counted his blessings.

She was a strange and demanding woman, but he was more than up to the task of being her companion, forever and always.


	10. Chapter 10

**I return with some more Moving Day. I do apologize but unfortunately First Year University takes priority. So such hig priority that I don't already have a new chapter of Glass Slippers written. Anyways... thanks to my wonderful Beta who is now totally invested in my stories. Hooray!**

**That's it for now!**

**Enjoy 3**

* * *

Beckett entered the precinct, hugging Castle's jacket tighter around her shoulders, and ran to grab her purse before anyone stopped her to ask questions. They may not have been allowed to comment on yesterday's incident, but there was nothing to stop them from commenting on today's little adventures. That was one thing she could say, without doubt, was completely Richard Castle's fault.

Before Rick came into her life, she was never the subject of office rumours. Now, suddenly, she was the _only_ subject of office rumours. At first, it had bothered her because she was still in denial; then it had bothered her because they were true. Now it seemed that he was back to the untruths that circled the precinct; not something she was in the mood to handle.

Shooting a glare at anyone who dared to look her way, she snatched her purse from beside her desk and turned to her other partners to tell them that she would be taking an early lunch… again but when she looked over, she only spotted her quirky Irish partner with his nose buried in a pile of paperwork. She regarded him with an appreciative smile before she approached his desk. "Where's Esposito?"

Ryan didn't look up from his desk, trying his hardest not to smile at the images of a very high Beckett falling out of a tree. "Don't know. He said he was taking an early lunch." She was instantly flooded with a wave of guilt at leaving the Irishman alone to man their station. Still, she really did need a new shirt.

"Oh, well I was going to say I'm…" she wracked her brain, searching for a way to make it up to him "... heading out for a cup of coffee that Castle won't spill on me. You want one?"

He finally looked up at her and smiled brightly. (next line should be up here)"Sure, uh…" He paused, trying to remember the last time anyone had offered to buy him coffee. What could you order to go at basically any coffee shop? "Black?" he asked casually.

With a firm nod, Beckett backed slowly towards the elevator, praying that no one would question her sudden absence for the second time in as many days. If she got back and the rumours were circulating again, she was cutting Castle off for a week.

As she walked into the precinct parking lot, she watched Castle pull up to the curb before jumping out and holding the driver's open for her. Once they were both settled and buckled up, Beckett took off in the direction of the Coroner's Office. At Castle's questioning look she offered him one of her 'duh' stares. "I'm not going shopping without Lanie. She always seems to get me really nice discounts."

"Probably because she threatens to make the cashier one of her patients if he charges you retail," Castle muttered, loud enough to get his point across.

"Nah." Beckett turned the ignition with a smirk. "When she thinks I'm in the change room, she flashes the cashier then claims he must have a crush on me."

Castle wished he had been drinking at least water at the time because then his spit take would have been a little less awkward.

Castle was still trying to figure out how he would ever be able to look at Lanie ever again when the duo pushed open the swinging doors and were face to face with to very un-dead bodies. The bodies of Lanie Parish and Javier Esposito entangled in a very… intimate position; several intimate positions. Too stunned to do anything but watch, Castle was surprisingly the first to react several moments later when he cleared his throat pointedly and covered his eyes and the pair on the examining table scrambled apart, readjusting clothing that had come… unadjusted.

"Kate!"

"Castle!"

"Castle?"

"Beckett!"

Their two friends stammered profusely as they refused to make eye contact with anything or anyone else. Too stunned to form a complete sentence, Beckett blinked several times before glancing back and forth, pointing and gaping with a mix of astonishment, betrayal, and relief. Beckett and Castle both knew that Lanie and Esposito still had feelings for each other; but it was one thing to carry a torch, it was another to ignite the flames and watch the entire foundation burn. She was glad that they had obviously come to some sort of realization, but Lanie was still married and it was still wrong. Lanie, having finally regained at least some of her composure, was eager to change the subject and so turned the tables on her friends.

"What are you two doing here? I don't have anything for you." She spoke as calmly as possible though she knew it was useless. God, she gets caught up in one moment of passion with her former lover and they almost end up naked on an examination table with their friends watching for God knows how long. Not her favourite moment.

"We-uh-I…" Beckett's eyes were still impossibly wide at the view she had been given of Javier in most – if not all – of his glory, suddenly flashing back to yesterday with her and Rick in the interrogation room. Had this been what Ryan and Esposito felt? That feeling where you would be turned on if it wasn't for your brother or sister starring in the porno you were witnessing; it was not a pleasant feeling – at all. She would definitely have to make it up to them later - if she could remember what Lanie had asked her. "I-um…"

"Kate wants to take you shopping during your lunch break and I tagged along to offer my credit card," Castle finally offered, sensing Beckett's conflicting emotions. He guessed they were similar to his, but in a way he was more used to it. He had walked in on his mother and her latest beau often enough that what Lanie and his brother were doing was nothing he hadn't seen before. Of course the moral implications of what they had been doing were different and he knew that they needed to be addressed; but not right now, and certainly not in this setting, where he would never be able to look at Lanie in the same way. Not after everything he had seen and heard of her in the last ten minutes.

"Oh;" Lanie self-consciously adjusted her top as she hazarded a glance at her friend. Beckett looked back with a greater sense of relief at the opportunity to slip away from the situation. "I'll go grab my coat, then." No one had really looked at Esposito until he suddenly spoke up.

"I should be heading back to the precinct anyway."

Castle held out a friendly hand to stop him before turning to his fiancée. "Here." He dug into his back pocket, producing a small black leather wallet, and tossed it across the office to her. "Just take my card and you can make it up to me later." His tone was light but the moment he said it, everyone in the room winced subtly at the implications of his phrasing. "You can make dinner." he offered in compromise.

With a small nod of her head, Beckett turned, hooked her arm into Lanie's and pushed through the doors. The moment the elevator dinged, indicating their departure, Castle turned to Esposito, causing the Hispanic detective to jump. "What the _hell_ were you doing?"

"Well, I, uh…"

"Lanie is married now, you can't just-"

"She and Colin are getting a divorce," Esposito suddenly blurted, the heat once again rising to his cheeks.

It was odd to see the normally tough, aggressive detective suddenly very shy and quiet, but Castle had never seen Esposito more in love with anyone than when he looked at Lanie. Personally, he had always been rooting for the couple to get back together; but after Lanie had gotten married to someone else, he had all but given up hope. Now he'd seen them doing… that and he hears… this. It was a lot to take in.

"What?" He paused. "Since when? I thought they were having a baby together." Castle paled as Esposito reached up to scratch his neck nervously.

"About that ..."

"Oh, tell me you didn't." Castle ran a hand through his hair as he began to pace around the room, which seemed to be slowly shrinking.

"I didn't mean for it to happen," he heard his friend insist, though he refused to face the detective. "I just…" Castle looked up at the crack in the man's voice. "I still love her and I had to have her, even if it was just for a while."

Castle softened at Esposito's sincerity. "If you still love her, why did you guys break up?"

"We kept fighting over all his old girlfriends."

Both men turned to see the object of their discussion with shining, confused eyes.

"I thought he was only in it for the sex." Lanie's eyes never left Esposito's. "I never stopped loving you; I just couldn't take the heartbreak." When she caught Castle's questioning gaze out of the corner of her eye, she almost smiled. "I forgot my jacket." She shrugged.

"Lanie, I…" Esposito was at a complete loss for words.

"I-I'm gonna head out," Castle whispered, not wanting to break the air between them. Without acknowledgement, he slipped out of the morgue and down the hall, where his fiancée patiently waited for her friend at the elevators . When the wrong person exited the morgue, she grew curious.

"What's up?" She turned to stand side-by-side with him as he pressed the elevator button.

"We're going shopping," he stated firmly, the slightest hint of a smile tugging his lips.

Knowing better than to question his statement, Beckett nodded slowly and moved into the elevator car, shrugging out of his coat as the door closed.

The journey to Wal-Mart – Kate was driving and there was no way she would walk into an actual clothing store with her shirt looking as it did – was sluggishly quiet. She wanted desperately to ask what had happened in the morgue, but it seemed Castle didn't want to talk about it. Desperate for a topic to break the silence, she kept her eyes on the road.

"So, how's Alexis? I haven't seen her since the… uh… incident." Maybe bringing up their disgusting display of affection a few days earlier was not the best topic, but she truly was desperate. Rick either didn't know what she was talking about, or he simply wasn't embarrassed about it.

"She's been busy with school," he replied. "Not to mention the fact that you were a little out of it the past few days. She said she might be home for dinner tonight, so barring any sudden changes in your mood, you should see her tonight."

Oh that was nice-wait. What did he mean _changes in her mood_?

"What do you mean by that?" She accused, suddenly defensive as they entered the shopping mall. "Are you saying I'm emotional?"

"No, no, no," Rick backtracked, having put his foot in his mouth often enough to know the taste instantly. "I'm just saying that if nothing comes up at work, we should be home in time to have dinner with Alexis."

_Oh, he is _not_ going to get away with that. _"So I'm emotional _and_ a workaholic. Gee, Rick, you're doing really well in the 'sex' column. At this rate, you might get laid sometime next month. Or am I not the only one helping you out in that department?" She snapped as a perky little blonde woman flashed him a flirtatious smile as he happened to look in that direction. Why was she getting so upset?

Who cared, she was on a roll.

"Hey that was uncalled for!" he protested. "I would _never_ cheat on you."

"Are you trying to insinuate something, Castle?"

Their challenging stance in the middle of the cards section was beginning to attract a few stares but not enough for it to be called a scene.

"No, I'm not. I know you wouldn't, either; I'm just curious as to where this is all coming from. What have I done recently to make you doubt my loyalty? Or is it that you're looking for an excuse to get out?" He didn't mean to say it, he really didn't; he was just so confused by her reaction to a simple statement like 'my daughter is at school'.

He watched her expression shift from shock, to hurt, to anger before settling on quiet fury; the worst kind. "Maybe I am."

With that, she stormed across the aisle to where women's clothing was, grabbed a plain white t-shirt from a pile in the sales rack, and slunk into the express check-out line; all before Rick could even move.

Had she really just said that?


	11. Chapter 11

**I bring gifts to you oh friends. Well one gift but it's an awesome one. It's... Moving Day. New Chapter. Yay! **

**That's it for now!**

**Enjoy 3**

* * *

Kate took a cab back to the precinct alone, her new t-shirt still scrunched in her hand, no doubt wrinkled from the amount of clenching she'd done on her way over. She barely acknowledged the uniform who held the door open for her – or rather, moved out of her way so that she wouldn't run him over – and she paced, frustrated, as the elevator began its slow ascent to her floor.

She couldn't decide if she was angrier at Castle or herself. For one thing, he should not have called her an emotional workaholic because obviously she wasn't – right? And then he accused her of cheating; wrong move in the relationship department. _But you also accused him of cheating didn't you?_ She always hated that voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like 'reason'.

Well she didn't want 'reason', she wanted to vent about all of her irrational fears about becoming a wife. Oh right, she had almost forgotten about that; Castle had proposed and she had accepted and while they had put it off it didn't change the fact that they were going to be married. In sickness and in health until death do they part – which, in her line of work, might not be when they wanted it to be. If there was anyone she could imagine spending the rest of her life with it was definitely Castle; but maybe not right now.

_He's not asking you to get married now; he just wants it 'someday'_.

But if they couldn't stop fighting, how were they going to get to 'someday'? They were too opposite to really function as a couple.

_You've survived this long; and it's been good – really good._

But what if it doesn't stay this good? What if, down the road, he regrets it and wants out, but he can't because she doesn't believe in divorce?

_That's bullshit. You know what you need? A nice little stress reliever; and since you won't eat that slice of crow in front of you, let's try the gym_.

For once, she couldn't agree more with the voice in her head. Beckett hadn't realized that she was climbing the stairs to the precinct gym until she heard Ryan calling to her. "Yo Beckett, what happened to my coffee?"

She was too focused on the task at hand – too afraid that she'd change her mind and bottle it all up – that she wasn't too concerned with comforting her friend. "Sorry Ryan, change of plans."

With that, she disappeared around the corner and mentally began to shake off the last few days. Now it was time to physically shake it all off. She was glad to see that the last of the officers in the gym were nodding to her in greeting – meaning she had the place all to herself the moment the door closed behind them. Once she heard that harmonious click, she released a rather unladylike groan of frustration at all the crap that had gone down in the last few days.

It all started with telling Lanie about her secret engagement to Castle and it had all gone downhill from there. First Alexis catching them having sex on the kitchen counter – a fact neither woman would forget. Then that damned article which had been apparently fabricated to mess with her head. Then the angry sex in front of her pseudo-father and brothers. Then, of course, there was getting _high_ in the precinct and nearly having wild monkey sex in a tree. Then came coffee and Esplanie and angry words that no one really meant – she hoped.

Overall it had been a rather adventurous week – one she would _not_ be telling the kids about – and Kate was determined to forget all of it. And that started with a nice, sweaty round of punching things until either she or the thing she was punching broke down. Rick still hadn't returned – not that she cared – so she was resorted to her old friend the punching bag. The anger she'd pushed into that bag over the years was enough to drive an army mad – pun unintentional but functional – and it was again her go-to stress reliever when her soon to be hubby wasn't around.

Stepping into the change room in the corner, she was met with a subtle wave of cold air. No one was in there either. Perfect. Dropping her shirt unceremoniously on the bench in front of her, she huffed in preparation before crossing her arms and pulling her coffee-stained shirt over her head. She looked down at herself pursing her lips at the obvious yellow tint on her white bra from where the coffee had seeped through. Deciding it was best to leave it and change at home – since the only man allowed to stare at her chest long enough to notice a coffee stain was grounded at the moment so she wasn't worried – she grabbed the abused pale pink shirt and ripped it over her head. As she tugged the shirt over her breasts, she felt the material stretch and she released a rather loud curse. The shirt only came to her mid-riff; it was too small for her. Screw it, she decided, she was going to wear the tiny shirt and then put on her coat for the rest of the day. If anyone had anything to say, she'd tell them to shove it. Nodding decidedly, fighting another groan of frustration – which was happening a lot lately – she stalked over to her locker, violently threw it open, tossed in her sullied shirt and slammed it shut.

Oh god did she need to starting hitting something. 

Castle stepped cautiously onto the Homicide Floor of the 12th Precinct, hazarding a glance in the direction of his fiancée's desk, only to be met with an empty void. He tried his best to casually stroll to her desk, pausing as Ryan exited the break room with a steaming cup of coffee. _Alright play it cool; just casually ask where Beckett is and maybe you can keep this little misunderstanding between the two of you_.

The moment Beckett had stormed away, leaving him to deal with the few stragglers who had shaken their heads at him disapprovingly, he knew he had to fix this. Her words hadn't been 'I'm upset but we'll work through it if you give me time', they were 'I'm pissed off and hurt and you'd better fix this". Neither of them had meant what they said – at least _he_ hadn't – so the solution would be to talk it through – right? Or maybe he should give her some alone time to cool down a bit.

_No, if you let her stew too long she will burn and you'll both be done. You need to nip this problem in the bud right now._

"Hey Ryan," the Irishman turned innocently towards the writer as he was called from across the precinct. The tone in Beckett's voice as she stormed up the stairs had told the protective younger brother in him that she and Castle had gotten into a fight. Seeing the pain and panic in his eyes now only confirmed it "do you know where Beckett is?" Nearly sighing in relief, knowing that Castle was actually trying to fix the problem, Ryan nodded and titled his head towards the stairs in the corner.

"Yeah, she ran upstairs maybe ten minutes ago." As Castle's focus was pulled towards the stairs, Ryan thought he'd try and find out what the actual problem was – Lanie would be so proud of him. "So what are you two fighting about anyway?"

This brought the writer's attention back to the problem at hand. "What makes you think we're fighting?" he asked cautiously.

"Come on." Ryan nudged his pseudo-partner in the shoulder with the arm _not_ holding the cup of coffee – he was not going to risk it "Beckett comes in looking seriously pissed and goes straight for the gym; then you slink in a few minutes later all panicked." Castle gaped in offence.

"I did not come in here all panicked; I'm simply asking where my fiancée is."

"Uh huh." Ryan nodded before taking a sip of the cooling liquid and letting it jolt him awake at the intense heat. Sputtering over his burnt tongue, he gestured wildly in the direction of the stairs. "She's upstairs, go kiss and make up; just make sure no one's watching this time." Before Castle could respond, Ryan returned to his desk, leaving him to stare longingly up at Precinct Gym.

_Well it's now or never Writer Boy_. He gave a long sigh of anticipation Castle ascended the stairs to where he hoped to make amends with his fiancée.

If she still wanted to be his.

Beckett pounded on the bag in a consistent rhythm as it swung roughly back and forth sweat dripping down her neck, through the valley of her breasts and collected on her bare abdomen. She felt her heart beat in sync with each moment her fist struck the bag, sending ripples through her body, pushing all of her frustrations and fears out with it.

In her mind, she vented everything that was bothering her: the mistrust, the uncontrollable sex, the wedding, the fighting, the irrational emotions that kept beating her head as she threw herself into the deafening rhythm of her heart beat in her ears. It had taken her so long to trust Rick with her heart and now he was throwing it all away over some immature argument.

_Who's throwing away anything?_

Her rhythm slowed a beat and her synchronicity was thrown off, bringing the bag down upon her, one second too soon. The weight of the bag was enough to push her back, stumbling over her feet and throwing her mind off the proverbial edge of sanity. What was she _doing_? Rick had done nothing to make her doubt his loyalty to her; hell, after all the women whom he had rejected since knowing her, she was almost surprised he wasn't gay – though after their first time together, that theory was squashed into oblivion.

The truth was, Rick was as loyal as a puppy dog and she still couldn't trust him because she was afraid that he would grow up one day and decide that he didn't need her to hold his leash anymore. That's what scared her the most. She liked holding his leash, being in control, and her fear of his independence was what was killing their relationship. She was being selfish but she was so used to getting her way that the thought of having to share with someone else for the rest of her life was absolutely terrifying. God, when had her life become such a soap opera? She stared, stunned, at the swinging bag before her contemplating what exactly she was supposed to do about this sudden revelation.

"You know, I bet if you stare at the bag long enough you could hit it with your mind." She didn't need to turn to know that Castle was there, leaning against the doorway. She moved anyways, looking just passed him to the towel rack beside the door. As she approached it, ignoring his comment, he grabbed her wrist to still her momentum. She still hadn't looked at him and it was killing them both. _Stupid pride_, she could imagine the little voice in her head spitting out through clenched teeth_ why do you always have to get in the way?_

"Kate, look at me." He pleaded quietly. She finally hazarded a glance into his painfully blue eyes and it was the worst decision she made all day. He was hurting and somehow that just wasn't acceptable. In the back of her mind, a different voice from the one that she had been talking to all day told her that he was about to spew some crap about being sorry and for reasons unknown to man, she listened.

"What are you doing here Castle?" She pulled her hand from his hold and used the impetus to grab a towel and pat her forehead, allowing them both a moment to breathe. It did nothing to curb her sudden frustration when he answered her question."

"I came up here to apologize for-"

"Save it, Castle I'm not in the mood to hear any of your excuses." She dropped the towel in the bin and turned away from him before he grabbed her wrist again, whipping around to face him.

"What is it with you and grabbing my wrist today?" She snapped, tugging at his grip but it wouldn't budge. "Let go Castle."

"Not until you hear me out." He spoke gently, trying to keep all of his frustrations at bay. When he saw Kate punching out her frustrations, he figured it would help her calm down. When she suddenly stopped and stumbled back, he thought Christmas had come early and she had finally realized that they needed each other. Apparently he was wrong.

"I'm not in the mood to hear whatever crap you're about to throw at me so just save it for your next bimbo okay?"

That was the final straw.

"My god Kate." he pulled her closer so they were eye-to-eye. "When are you going to get it through your thick skull? You are _not_ some bimbo I'm sleeping with for kicks. I _love_ you, I'm going to marry you and nothing you say is going to make me change my mind."

But she couldn't stop, she was on a roll. "So you're _forcing_ me to marry you? Wow, Rick when did we go back to the Dark Ages? This is the 21st Century, and I don't _have_ to marry you."

He paused for a moment that stopped the world. "So you don't want to marry me?" His voice was absolutely broken. _Now you've got him_ the evil voice told her. She didn't listen. She could practically hear the good voice cheering in the background.

"Of course I want to marry you." They both sank in relief as the words ghosted from her mouth. The icebreaker.

"I'm sorry." He said it first and it was like a blow to the gut, staggering her emotionally, throwing her mentally off balance. Why did he have to say that? "I shouldn't have said any of it, I didn't mean it; I was just upset that you would say something like that and" his sentence was cut off by her lips pressing to his in what could technically be described as a kiss but was really just a long, shared breath. As she pulled back, she parted her lips enough to capture his bottom lip and tug on it gently, her own apology for being such a jerk. Okay maybe this time, he deserved a real apology as well.

"I'm sorry too." She whispered for the whole world to hear. "I guess I didn't realize how stressed I was about the whole 'getting married' thing until I saw Lanie and Esposito. I started thinking about Colin and what would happen if I ever caught you cheating on me – even with your best friend." She finally brought her hands up around his neck, pulling him closer. "But I know that would never happen because I trust you and sometimes I forget that you aren't just another guy trying to get in my pants."

"Anymore," He added, earning himself a breathy snort of laughter before she grew serious once more.

"You are _it_ for me and it's going to take some getting used to on my part. We took a big step this weekend by telling everyone that we're going to do the 'forever' thing. Can you just give me some time, please?"

For the first time in a very long time, Rick's smile was blindly genuine and so subtle that it could probably be seen from space. "Kate, I can wait forever if I have to."

She played with the hairs on the back of his neck as she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "You are much too good for me Richard Castle."

"I'm like that piece of dark chocolate cake that you know you shouldn't have but is just too good to resist." Mentally she shook her head at his cheesy little analogy but figured this was the perfect time for some of that perfectly sinful teasing they were so good at.

"Mmm," she moaned gently pulling her face closer to his, lightly nuzzling her nose into his cheek "So tasty and sinfully good." She leaned forward enough to graze his ear with the tip of her tongue as she spoke. "I could nibble on it all day." She could hear his breath hitch as she drew out the 'all' long enough to lick his earlobe greedily. She smiled as she thought of the perfect way to both ease her guilt, and make up for all the crap she had thrown at him in the last few days. Pulling back far enough to feather his lips with a kiss, she pulled him closer by the lapels of his jacket and held the kiss for as long as she could hold her breath.

Rick, for his part, was too stunned to move let alone participate so he was surprised when she released him aggressively, stumbling back until he hit the door. For the first time since he entered the gym, Rick was far enough from Kate to actually look her up and down swearing under his breath at the sight of her: a pair of loose, navy shorts clung to her ass as the sweat began to air out, a tight pink t-shirt that barely covered her midriff and showed off her perky nipples through her bra and shirt as her chest rose and fell sporadically from the sudden adrenaline rush. It excited him to know that he could still affect her so deeply. At least they were even on that front. After a moment of silence to honor the death of their argument, Rick felt the need to form coherent thought after Kate had shut off that part of his brain. "So, uh, are we, us…" _Way to verbalize your thoughts Ricky_. He chastised himself.

Kate just smiled up at him, never daring to let on that he had affected her just as much. "Yeah Rick, we're fine." She rested her hands on his heaving chest as she leaned in for another, gentler kiss. He massaged her lips torturously but made no move to deepen the kiss so neither did she. Although, they were both still breathless from their previous encounters, it seemed perfect to keep this one short and sweet.

"And for the record," he whispered as they pulled away, his lips still ghosting over hers "it's impossible to cheat on you with my best friend." She was about to let a comment about Castle and Esposito being cute together slip from her mouth when he finished his sentence and her breath stopped short. "It's not cheating if it's still you." Oh yes, they were going to be just fine.

As soon as she got him home.

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**Virtual High Fives go to those who can guess what Beckett is going to do to make it up to Castle.**


	12. Chapter 12

**So I haven't updated this story in a very long time and for that I apologize but if you're following Glass Slippers you've been hopefully entertained. Anyways, I know I promised some good lovin' this chapter but it just didn't happen so this is the set up and I'll try and have something - anything - out by Cuffed. Who else is excited for that? Anyways. Well hopefully you like this chapter. If you want to follow my on twitter you can find me at **vatrask

**Enjoy 3**

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After cleaning up and shaking off the last of their sexual tension, the pair returned to work, vowing to keep it to a minimum until they got least that's what they said.

Beckett returned to her pile of paperwork, having remembered to button up her coat all the way so as to hide the fact that her shirt barely covered her stomach and exaggeratedly stretched over her breasts. Castle returned to his usual task of playing games and jotting plot points on his phone while sneaking glances at his favourite detective. All in all, it appeared as though everything were back to normal - except for the occasional heated glance that Beckett returned in response to his accidental brush of her arm or thigh, causing her to shiver every single time.

Okay, so maybe they hadn't expelled the sexual tension, but it wasn't their fault. They were just too wound up from the emotional roller coaster they'd taken to really deal with their pent-up urges. In all honesty, Beckett wasn't trying all that hard to fight her urges, despite the voice in her head reminding her that they were, in fact, in a very public place – a place of work – and the things she so desperately wanted to do to him would not be appropriate. Oh, the things she wanted to do to him: wind him up as tight as she was at the moment and tease him into ecstasy. Sounded like a good plan in theory; now if she could do it without coming undone first.

That was the challenge. She just needed to exude some self-control around him – until she got home, of course. Her dear fiancé was not making it any easier, with his smouldering glances and his touches of pure torture. She knew he was touching her as his way of comforting her, but it was not helping her resolve.

Finally, after Castle 'accidentally' brushed the inside her thigh when reaching for the garbage can, she couldn't take it anymore and resolved to put an end to the office displays of affection. Standing suddenly from her chair, startling even Ryan and Esposito – having returned from the morgue while the pair had been upstairs – at their respective desks, Beckett snapped her fingers in the direction of the empty break room and promptly stormed away.

Castle watched her leave before pulling himself cautiously out of his chair and turning to the dynamic duo with a questioning look.

Esposito was blank, still reeling from his encounter with Caskett and Lanie, but Ryan just snickered. "Looks like Beckett's still made at you." He smirked before returning to his own pile of paperwork.

The writer offered his friends a pleading look before sulking off to his doom.

The moment he closed the door and turned to face Beckett, she pounced. Well, "pounced" isn't quite the right word, but it is close enough when a woman suddenly appears in front of a man and grabs his his pants in a very intimate manner. She made no other move to touch him other than her hand gripping firmly around his jumping cock, knocking Castle into the door with a 'thump'.

With her fiancé still in a state of shock, Kate leaned forward to whisper in his ear in a tone that was seductively harsh – not a common combination, but one that worked wonders on his libido. "If you don't stop what you're doing, all of the things that I've got planned for tonight are going to go to waste."

Rick gulped as he caught a whiff of her shampoo and was immediately caught in her web. "What _I'm_ doing to _you_?" he breathed, barely hiding the nervous arousal in his voice.

Kate just smiled. "All the looks and the…" Her voice trailed off as she made a slow, downward stroke "...touches. It's driving me absolutely insane, and I'm trying ever so hard to keep it together for tonight." There wasn't even a hint of desperation in her voice; just pure lust – a fact which did not help his cause at all.

"And what _do_ you have planned for tonight?" Again, that smile of Kate's was only turning him on more. This woman would surely be the death of him.

Kate pulled herself just that little bit closer to him as she squeezed him, using her other hand to place some space between his head and the glass door behind him. No point in injuring the merchandise – well, the head _carrying_ the merchandise. "If you promise to behave, I'll show you when we get home. Do you promise to behave for the rest of the day?"

Rick remembered himself long enough to nod before she suddenly released him and walked out the opposite door, leaving Rick breathless, practically shaking with arousal. His resolve to keep the PDAs to a minimum was suddenly renewed. Oh god, this day needed to be over so they could get to the 'night' part.

It was a full minute before Castle had calmed enough to return to his chair, where Beckett had focused all of her energy on not noticing his timid nature and on the paperwork she knew would not get done today. It was hard to suppress a smile as Castle physically shifted his chair a little further away from her desk hunching his body away from her in a vain attempt to not think about smiled at the thought, and Castle, not daring to look at her, shook as though someone had just walked over his grave. Or it was a premonition of future pleasure.

Not soon enough, Beckett saw the clock on her desktop tick over to six o'clock, and then glanced over at her pile of paperwork to find she had barely grazed it. _Well,_ she decided, _nothing more is going to get done here._ With a loud clap, she closed the file she had been half-reading, placed it on her miniature 'finished' pile and stood to grab her coat from the back of her chair.

The sudden movement startled Castle out of his daydreaming and made him burst into action, the only thought running through his head was 'finally'. He anxiously helped his fiancée into her coat before donning his own and running to the elevator with her.

The boys looked up as Beckett pushed the elevator button with curious gazes. "You guys cutting out early?" Ryan asked in a tone as subtle as Freddy Krueger in a Sorority House.

Rolling her eyes, Beckett refused to look anywhere but straight ahead. "Some people have lives outside of work, Ryan," she called over her shoulder as the elevator dinged. She didn't miss the snigger coming from anyone within earshot of their conversation.

"This coming from Miss Workaholic? Please. I guess Castle really has rubbed off on you."

Beckett still managed to get the last say – or rather the last glare – as the elevator closed around the couple, signalling the final end to a torturous day. For Rick, however, it seemed as though the torture was only beginning.

The elevator had to be the slowest car in the city. It didn't help that Beckett spent the entire ride leaning against the back railing, admiring her nails and humming some random love song that his sex-maddened brain just couldn't identify. The following cab ride home had to be the most platonic he'd ever had with a woman who wasn't a family member. Not even a hand hold. He had thought that she was going to be doing deliciously wonderful things to him, not torturing him into insanity. What was this woman doing to him?

He refrained from saying anything for several reasons – mostly because he didn't want to jinx anything by questioning her. That could be more disastrous than what she was already doing to him. Maybe, just maybe, she was actually going to wait until they were physically home. All right, he could hold out that long.

Beckett just smiled.

As he turned the key in the door and motioned for him to enter, he prepared to be jumped - or attacked or…something, anything – but nothing happened. Beckett unbuttoned her coat, and dropped it over the back of the couch as she passed into the kitchen. "What do you think we should have for dinner? I kind of feel like cooking up something spicy. What do you think?" She looked up innocently at her gaping fiancé, still in the doorway, and tried to hide a smile. When she received no real response, Kate returned to searching his fridge for something to legitimately make for dinner. Finding nothing, she decided to search the freezer. When she closed the door only to find Rick on the other side, looking very lusty indeed. Kate's demeanour faltered for a moment. She quickly turned away, only to have his body pressed against her back a moment later, eliciting a gasp of surprise that she just couldn't suppress. "Rick." She tried to sound intimidating.

"I would love something spicy for dinner. What did you have in mind?"

_You_, she stopped herself from saying out loud – though it still brought a blush to her cheeks and a stutter to her voice.

"Obviously not the same thing you're thinking." With the words, she gained a bit more control back.

The answer obviously not satisfying him, Rick tilted his head to nibble on her earlobe. "Are you sure?" He tugged gently, bringing forth that same primal gasp from her that always made his day. Kate, meanwhile, was panicking at the affect this man had over her. This was supposed to be her night to tease him, not the other way around. Taking a moment to gulp down her usual desires, Kate straightened her shoulders and pushed away from him. "Positive." She returned to the refrigerator, knowing the perfect weapon to help her regain control. Pulling out the can of whipped cream, she popped the can open and left it on the counter with purpose.

Of course it had the desired effect on Rick: a long, anxious gulp as he stared at the can. "What's that for; the bedroom?"

Straightening from the fridge and closing it with finality, Kate smirked. "Down boy; it's for dessert." She lifted her hands, which held a half-eaten pumpkin pie, leftover from a previous meal. She relished his dejected look and took the opportunity to put the ball firmly back in her court. Placing the pie on the counter, she took the open can and sprayed it over the pie, ensuring that just a few drops made it onto her fingers. Ever so seductively, she placed the can back on the counter and slowly brought each finger to her lips, indulging in a few groans of pleasure as the cool, creamy substance slid down her throat. The most groans were coming from her fiancé watching her from a few feet away, trying his hardest not to take her right on the counter.

_Good boy_, she thought, _that would spoil everything._

Needing desperately to distract himself from the very distracting woman before him, Rick turned toward the counter and began wiping furiously with his hand. "So, where's Alexis tonight?"

"She's out." He looked up at the casual tone she provided. "We're all alone."

And he was back to distracting himself in an instant. Grabbing the can of whipped cream, Rick emptied a sizable amount into his mouth and swallowed hard. Kate smiled, taking two plates from the cupboard and making her way towards the table.

It took them longer than strictly necessary to set the dinner table for two. Kate continued to tease Rick with a stroke or a glance and the poor man continued to trip over his own feet, failing miserably at remaining impartial to her advances. Finally thinking with the proper brain, Rick took a seat as far away as possible from his temptress fiancée and began to eat in uncomfortable silence. Of course no seat at the table was too far away for Kate's mile-long legs, which were the source of the uncomfortable in the silence that fell over the couple. Slowly, she slid her foot up and down his leg, alternating between groans of pleasure and snickers of satisfaction as Rick choked on his meal again and again. After a particularly loud moan that went straight to his nether region, he snapped.

Grabbing hold of her ankle, he levelled a glare in her direction. "Miss Beckett, just what do you think you're doing?" His tone was both serious and teasing, a combination she absolutely adored.

With a tone to match, Kate offered a weak, seductive smile. "I'm just trying to say 'sorry', Ricky, for being such a jerk earlier." By the time her foot finally reached his crotch, Rick had shifted his chair just out of reach.

"Kate-" he held her ankle as she continued to stretch her foot toward its destination "-sexual favours are not the way to apologize." His male ego was slapping him upside the head but he ignored it.

With a sadistic smile, she pointed her toe and twisted her ankle, teasing him into erection. "Oh but this isn't a favour." She folded one arm over the other while her free hand came to her mouth, grazing her lips tantalizingly. "This is a reward." She applied just enough pressure under the table and watched with bright eyes as he gasped. "One you should be taking very graciously." With that, she took her index finger in her mouth and sucked hungrily. She jumped but didn't falter in her task when he banged his fist against the table and flexed his other hand as his chest rose and fell with rapid succession.

_Time to go in for the kill_. Kate smiled. Pulling her legs together under the table, she straightened up before winking at his bugged-out eyes and slithering out of sight. Rick closed his eyes, trying to sense where she was under the table – or rather, how close she was to him and his pants – but was startled out of his imaginings when a gust of cool air brushed past his ear. Looking over his shoulder, he gulped at the sight of his beautiful fiancée in a bra and dress pants, her shirt flung over one shoulder. It was a sight most men dreamed of seeing – and she was all his.

"You coming, Castle?" she teased espectantly.

Oh, was he ever.

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**I'm sorry to leave it like that but if I kept going the chapter would be too long. But you'll be glad to know that there is no escaping the make-up 'reward' so just grab a glass of cold water and I'll be back in no time!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Alright, so here is my bonus Christmas gift to all of my lovely fans - the first part of the sex scene I promised you a month and a half ago. Well it _could_ be the fist half or we could leave it where it is, it's up to you. Unfortunately due to the fact that it's...well...Christmas Eve, my editor wasn't available to edit the following chapter so it's all me. Lucky you. Anyways, if you want to follow my on twitter you can find me at **vatrask

**Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Review**

**Enjoy 3**

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Rick entered the room to find the lights off and the blinds closed. _Odd_, he thought _I could have sworn I left the blinds open when we left this morning_. The tiniest sliver of dim light from the hallway revealed an empty bed and a shirt that, as he recalled, barely covered her stomach folded neatly on the chair by the dresser. She was in here alright; he would know that vanilla musk anywhere. He felt behind for the door knob and gently pushed it closed before fumbling for the light switch, a task which he, realized could have been easier accomplished in the opposite order; a task which he never quite completed thanks to the sound of his fiancée's purring from the opposite side of the bedroom. "Lights. Off." Retracting his hand from the wall, he raised an eyebrow in question, knowing it couldn't be seen in the darkness. "Strip." He still couldn't hear exactly where her voice was coming from but he was in no position to disobey her when she was like this. His button down and t-shirt hit the floor in a pile near the door as he took cautious steps in the direction in which he assumed she was standing. He stepped clumsily out of her dress pants, stumbling into the edge of the bed as he did, pausing in his journey forward as her cruelly seductive giggle echoed off the walls of the bedroom. He felt his boxers tighten slightly so he kept them on as he continued forward; using his hands to feel his way through the bedroom he thought he knew. Thankfully it was smooth sailing until his outreached hands brushed against her breast, halting his movements; he had reached his destination. Slowly, he curled his fingers until he felt her sternum and neck arch back and he pressed the heels of his hand against her nipples, massaging them in opposite directions. Once he heard her release that inevitable moan, he continued kneading her breasts completely, pulling himself flush against her body, finally feeling the effect the darkness had on her. He felt her taut stomach ripple with each shaky intake of her breath, pushing her breasts into his hands with each exhale. He heard her tongue slip out of her mouth and moisten her lips in an open-mouthed sigh as he understood she was trying to speak.

"Just tonight," she breathed "it's all for you; no eye-rolling, no protesting." Her hands rose from their opened press against the wall to ghost up his arms, feeling the hairs on his forearms rise to attention against her fingertips and palm. With her hands firmly cupping his flexed shoulder blades, her head tilted against the warm concrete wall, she tantalizingly shifted her right leg up his thigh, resting it on his hip so that they were mere inches apart; the heat of each other mingling in the air and settling somewhere entirely delicious. "Just feeling;" she brought her right arm up to cup the back of his the back of his neck, her elbow nearly digging into his shoulder "only feeling." As her fingers gentled pulled and teased the hairs on the back of neck, his hands left her breasts to stroke those stomach muscles and creep around her waist in a definitive move. Lowering his weight over her so that she felt his heat seeping into her every pore, she dipped her upper body so her leg was securely attached to his middle before pulling her lips to his in an attraction that was purely magnetic.

A moment of silence passed between them as they breathed the warmth that their friction had caused before her mouth opened just enough and he met her there where their tongues melded long before their lips did. In an instant, the heat between them melted into a fire, slow and burning, consuming their every thought and need. With his hand snaking up her back and across her shoulder blades to cup the curve of her shoulder, her hand on his back pulled him upward bringing all of his energy towards her while his other hand sought just inside the space of her dress pants to knead the flesh at her hipbone, the form-fit of the pants keeping his hand roughly against her skin until she could feel every inch of his hand working her. Their kisses were long and languid, taking the time to explore the feel of each other – every single unnamed scar from a love long passed – until the hand on her shoulder, slipped the thin strap of the cotton barrier down to nearly touch her elbow before coming up to her neck, his thumb a steady hold of her pulse point, beating erratically against his digit. Using his fingers as leverage, he tilted her neck so it rested against her shoulder, ripping their lips from each other with smack and a sudden gasp of air on her part leaving her neck and chest completely exposed for his exploring senses. He felt her exhale on a sigh against his index finger brushed against her lower lip on its journey exploring her smoothly defined jaw. As the finger passed her lips, she opened her mouth letting it slip against her tongue before he pulled it from her gasping lips to trail her saliva down her chin to rest on her collarbone, heaving with desperation and want. His lips, meanwhile, had placed short, wet, open-mouthed kisses from the hollow behind her ear and down her tendon – each kiss causing her to stretch her neck just that bit farther to present him with more to feast upon – until they met his hand at the top of her chest, clinging to his shoulders for dear life. As his lips continued their journey south, his hands – how she hadn't missed the warmth of his fingers at her hip she would never know – swept around her ribs, ghosting with barely his middle finger until they were releasing her from the confines of her bra, in time for her hands to drop to his waist, immediately freeing her breasts. She felt his hand pull at the front of her bra, tossing it off his shoulder with an echoing swoosh – the first sound above a moan that had entered the bedroom in what seemed like an eternity. The resounding chuckle that shook her body and rippled through his chest gave him pause his lips continued their journey through the valley of her heaving breasts and she lifted her hand to his dampening hair in a sweet caress of affectionate lust. "Remember what happened last time you threw my bra over your shoulder?" Her voice was laced with languid desire and a hint of need that filled the room with soft music.

"Yeah," he responded, his lips furiously attacking her ribs "we almost used the jam."

Her hands were moving sumptuously slow as they tugged at the waist band of his boxers, pulling him impossibly close so that she could feel his erection burning into her stomach. "Whatever you want baby." His open mouth made its way up her breasts to circle her heart, the usually affectionate display replaced completely by lust.

"You know I think I liked you better when you were aggressive." His smile broke through the darkness a moment before he felt a swift leg swipe his, throwing him off balance until he landed harshly on the floor with a leggy brunette straddling his hips.

He felt her neck tilt to the side, flipping her hair over so the ends brushed his chest, with her hands sliding up his chest, to rest on his pectorals, massaging the feeling away from them and a straight to his groin. "How's that?" His hands quickly moved from her waist and into her pants, cupping her bare ass with lustful adoration.

"Perfect."


	14. Chapter 14

**Greetings my lovely readers I have news for you. This is the last chapter of Moving Day. I know, sad isn't it? Fear not, I actually plan on following through with Glass Slippers and not copping out like i did with this story and with Turnabout. I never intended for this to actually become a full story - it was supposed to be a one shot - so there was never a plot or anything so I'm going to focus on my one story as I venture into busy University life. I have so much reading and writing that I've committed to this semester that I can't handle more than I FanFic at a time. That said, I've worked writing a chapter a week into my schedule so it'll really depend on my lovely and talented Beta whom I'm going to try working with again. These past few chapters haven't been beta'd at all and I think the chapters have been affected severely by it - you can this is unbeta'd by my lovely grammar skills in this note. So, in conclusion, Moving Day is over and I'll have the next chapter of Glass Slippers written by the end of the week (the last chapter from Kate's PoV before we look in on what Rick's been up to these past few years) so you might want to go back and re-read the last few chapters to refamiliarize yourself with it. Anyways, if you want to follow my on twitter you can find me at **vatrask **otherwise, I'm done here!**

**Enjoy 3**

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They lay there in warm, post coital not saying much of anything as he stroked her spine lazily as she drifted off to sleep. "I'm glad we did this." She murmured, snuggling further into his naked chest.

"Had make-up sex?" He asked, still staring at the dark ceiling, a single sliver of the streetlights outside streaming in.

"No." She smacked his chest playfully, keeping her head there and feeling his chuckle vibrate through her entire body; "decided to get married." The room was suddenly filled with a heavy silence that was thicker than the musk of their reconciliation. Rick wasn't sure how to take that statement; as if there were any other option than to move forward in their relationship once they started. "I just mean that I'm glad we finally took that leap." She corrected, sensing his apprehension.

"_You_ took the leap, Kate." He consciously pulled her closer to him. "I fell a long time ago."

She smirked into his chest. "Look at you, getting sentimental after sex. If I'd known you would be this sappy I would have rethought this whole thing."

"You seducing me and offering sexual favors?" Her knee curled until it was dangerously close to his member and he winced at the not so delicate pressure there.

"I did nothing of the sort." She spoke, aghast.

"Of course you did; stripping in front of me, teasing me mercilessly with your scantily clad dinner ensemble, keeping the lights off as he made sweet" his free hand came up to trail down the valley of her chest "passionate" his fingertips brushing her stomach caused her to shiver and her muscles to contract "love." She gasped as he found her heat, her shaking breath slowly filling the room as the temperature increased with each stroke he made.

"Best decision I ever made."She breathed as he continued to work his magic, her one fingers grasping his biceps and squeezing and kneading as her pleasure increased.

"Marrying me is the best decision you'll ever make." He smiled that cocky little grin of that she instantly needed to kiss off his face. He held her lips, massaging them with his own as her orgasm shook her slowly and sweetly, a reflection of their languid position. It was silent and drawn-out, her head falling backwards and her grip on his arms increasing steadily. They parted as she came back to earth, smiling slowly against his lips, knowing that he wore a grin to match.

"I've no doubt I made the right decision this time."

"You always made the right decision about us." He kissed her nose, pushing a few pithy remarks about the angst-ridden time just before they had closed her mother's case. "Can you imagine if we had actually slept together that first night all those years ago?"

"It would have been great." She confessed, pulling her one leg over his so she was practically sprawled on top of him, his hand trapped between them; right where it should be.

"Of course it would." He smirked before his face fell. "But it wouldn't have been right."

She knew what he was saying but she couldn't help the roll of her eyes. "Sappy _and_ sentimental? Geez maybe this whole seduction idea was not by best decision ever."

"So you admit that it was a seduction."

"Not that I had to try very hard. All I have to do is look at you-"

"-and I'll come running every time." She snuggled into his chest, finally allowing her body to relax and fall into unconsciousness.

"Me too." He smiled and was about to respond with another signature immaturely charming remark when he realized that his fiancée was mostly asleep, a contented smile on her face.

"I love you Kate Beckett." He kissed the top of her head, his hand wrapped around her shoulder massaging her slowly before closing his eyes and drifting off into the same dream world.


End file.
